49ers GM John Lynch had X's and O's reason for reuniting with Deebo Samuel

The San Francisco 49ers are all about familiarity in the coming NFL season. Brock Purdy struggled quite a bit in 2025 and hopes to make up for his production. Ricky Pearsall was supposed to be a main contributor in this endeavor before he went down with a season-ending injury. Now, 49ers GM John Lynch and Coach Kyle Shanahan are relegating that role to the returning Deebo Samuel. He seems to fit perfectly in their schematic needs.

49ers' Lynch and Shanahan had schematic reasons for signing Samuel

Deebo Samuel already knows how Coach Kyle Shanahan and 49ers GM John Lynch's system works. He was there for six seasons before joining the Washington Commanders in 2025. Now, he reunites with the offense led by Brock Purdy in hopes of making another Super Bowl run.

Clearly, Lynch and Shanahan have more reasons other than having a familiar face for why they acquired Samuel. It all had to do with their X's and O's surrounding the dynamic kickoff, via Nick Wagoner of ESPN.

"The dynamic kickoff has brought the kickoff return to the game. You've got to be really well positioned. ... He's committed to doing that. ... We look forward to using him there. But then offensively, you guys have seen him, and I think Kyle has a great vision in being real creative in how we use him," the 49ers general manager declared.

In the past two seasons, Samuel has been quite an impressive receiver on kicks. During his last season with the 49ers in 2024, he was fielded for 17 kickoff returns, totaling 533 yards. This carried over to his stint with the Commanders. Samuel caught 15 kicks for 452 yards; his longest kickoff return clocked in at 69 yards.

Samuel fits perfectly in Coach Shanahan's X's and O's schemes

It was Coach Shanahan who introduced the idea that Samuel became a staple in the 49ers' kickoff returns too. Since then, he has averaged 29.6 yards per return. If his 2025 season was put under a microscope, his 30.1 yards per kickoff return is the fifth-most in the NFL for players who have returned 15 or more kickoffs. Kene Nwangwu (33.6 avg), Deonte Banks (32.7 avg), Ashton Dulin (32.2 avg), and Ray Davis (30.4 avg) are the only players ahead of him who meet that 15 return requirement.

More than just his numbers in kickoffs, Samuel has also become quite the Swiss Army knife on offense. He recorded 72 receptions to get 727 receiving yards and five receiving touchdowns in his sole season with the Commanders. When given the assignment to run the ball, he does it well too. Samuel got a 47.1% rushing success rate on 17 attempts and 75 rushing yards. Make no mistake, Coach Shanahan knows how to position him in the field, just like when he got his career-high 365 rushing yards back in 2021.

Furthermore, he fits the schematic need of Coach Shanahan and the 49ers more than ever. The San Francisco offense loves to run wide zone, play-action passes, and get-open over routes. This is where Samuel thrives. His YAC numbers went down to 421 yards after catch in 2024, but it surged back up with the Commanders, when he recorded 466 yards per catch.

Lastly, this reunion with Samuel helps Purdy a lot. See, the 49ers receivers tend to go long on passes, which makes their quarterback's job quite difficult, as evidenced by his subpar 2,167 passing yards and his interception percentage of 3.5%. Samuel gives Coach Shanahan and Purdy an easy bail out on play-actions. They do not have to choose between throwing far out, going out of bounds, or taking a sack. It's largely because the veteran entering his eighth year has an average depth of target (ADOT) of just 5.2.

For context, eight of Purdy's receivers have an ADOT that is valued at more than six. The 49ers quarterback had to go long for guys like Skyy Moore (15.7 ADOT), Ricky Pearsall (14.1 ADOT), Jordan Watkins (14.0 ADOT), Demarcus Robinson (13.5 ADOT), Kendrick Bourne (11.0 ADOT), Marquez Valdes-Scantling (11.0 ADOT), Jauan Jennings (10.1 ADOT), and George Kittle (6.7 ADOT). This means they have a middle-of-the-road option when the other pass-catchers go too wide.

Purdy no longer has to carry the offense on his own. A year away from the 49ers can also mean that Samuel is bringing in some outsider insights to help Coach Shanahan and Lynch adjust their schemes for yet another Super Bowl run. For now and on paper, he fits like a glove.

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