On Wednesday, 49ers wide receiver Deebo Samuel requested a trade from the team, leading to speculation on where he will play next season.
Samuel, one of the best wide receivers in the NFL last season, flourished in his new running back/wide receiver hybrid role. He gained 1,770 all-purpose yards last season and scored 14 total touchdowns, earning First-team All-Pro honors. Eight of those touchdowns were rushing, setting an NFL season record for a wide receiver.
Samuel has become one of the best wide receivers in the league and now wants out of San Francisco. Could the Dallas Cowboys be a potential destination for the Pro Bowler?
Reportedly, Dallas made a recent trade offer for Samuel. The terms of the offer, if it even happened at all, are unknown. However, there appears to be interest from the Cowboys' end. Samuel also seems interested, liking a picture on Twitter of him in a Cowboys jersey.
Deebo Samuel's most recently liked tweet is about how he would look awesome wearing a Dallas Cowboys helmet.
(h/t @godmanblasta) pic.twitter.com/VKdsDJg2GS
— RJ Ochoa (@rjochoa) April 20, 2022
Several wide receivers have departed Dallas this offseason. Amari Cooper was traded to the Cleveland Browns, while Cedrick Wilson and Malik Turner parted in free agency to the Miami Dolphins and the 49ers, respectively. With Michael Gallup potentially out for the start of the 2022 season, wide receiver is a hole the Cowboys desperately need to fill.
With Samuel, the Cowboys would get someone better than Cooper who can bring many skills to the table. Every Dallas fan saw what Samuel could do when San Francisco came to town for the playoffs, specifically on the ground. He gained 110 total yards, 72 of them rushing, and scored a third-quarter touchdown to put the 49ers up two scores.
I don't think much needs to be said on whether Samuel fits in Dallas. Thanks to his diverse skill set, he definitely would. Samuel would be a massive boost to an offense that needs more playmakers. His tape shows the impact he can have on a game. However, would the Cowboys deploy him as a “wide-back”? Does Samuel even want to be in that role anymore?
Recent reports would say he doesn't. Samuel's main sticking point with the 49ers isn't money or a contract extension but his usage. Despite thriving in his new wide-back role, Samuel no longer wants to be a wide-back, with NFL Network's Ian Rapoport saying he doesn't like “taking a lot of hits” when deployed as a running back. This is understandable, given that running backs who take a lot of hits tend not to last long in the league.
But if he wants to be a wide-back or not, would it matter? It's not like Samuel is incapable of being a true wide receiver. In 2019, his only full season before 2021, Samuel caught 57 passes for 802 yards and three touchdowns. Last season, he gained 1,405 receiving yards, averaging 18.2 yards per catch. Pro Football Focus gave him a receiving grade of 87.8 last season, which was higher than his 85.3 rushing grade.
The Cowboys have one of the best running back duos in football with Ezekiel Elliott and Tony Pollard. They don't need someone who can play running back. If Samuel wants to be a full-time wide receiver again, it shouldn't be a problem for Dallas. Wide receiver is a position of need, and Samuel could fill that hole without playing running back. With CeeDee Lamb and Gallup beside him, he doesn't even have to put up top-tier numbers. He just has to be a contributor, which he can be.
How can the Cowboys acquire Samuel?
So, we've established how Samuel fits with Dallas on the field. Now, let's talk about how the Cowboys can get him on the team. Samuel and Lamb have the same agent, so there's some connection there. But that's not what's going to bring him to Dallas. What will is draft capital, which the Cowboys have. But does Dallas want to utilize it?
The Kansas City Chiefs got a first-rounder, a second-rounder, two fourth-rounders and a sixth-rounder from Miami for Tyreek Hill. San Francisco is going to want a similar package for Samuel. Would giving up many draft picks be worth it to acquire Samuel? A question like that can only be answered in hindsight after Samuel plays games for the Cowboys.
However, the man who has to bring him to Dallas is CEO Stephen Jones. After a disaster of a 2022 offseason, there's not much confidence that he's going to make an effort to acquire top-end talent. All offseason, Jones hasn't shown the desire to bring in that talent. There's no reason to suspect he'll gain that desire soon.
Samuel would transform the Cowboys' offense and add another layer to what was a lethal unit last season. The chances of him arriving in Dallas are anyone's guess. This isn't the first time the Cowboys have been linked to elite talent. Given they're America's team, it definitely won't be the last.
Dallas could absolutely acquire Samuel. The question is: does Dallas want to acquire him? Given Jones' track record this offseason, the answer is probably no. Like Bobby Wagner's supposed interest in Dallas, this might just be another two-week story that fades once the Cowboys predictably do nothing.
