Trent Williams on Deebo Samuel: Everybody’s their own worst critic
Earlier this week, 49ers receiver Deebo Samuel described his 2022 season as “awful” and vowed not to repeat it.
Samuel had missed the offseason program while going through a contract dispute with the team. He ended up with a three-year extension worth $73.5 million. But Samuel claimed that missed work left him sluggish.
Still, Samuel ended up with 964 yards from scrimmage with five touchdowns in 13 games. He caught 13 passes for 211 yards with a touchdown and rushed for 34 yards in the playoffs.
That’s part of why left tackle Trent Williams doesn’t view Samuel’s season in the same way.
“I thought he was Deebo,” Williams said on Wednesday, via Kirk Larrabee of 49erswebzone.com. “Everybody’s their own worst critic. I know he’s hard on himself, but I thought he was a playmaker for us.”
As for 2023, Williams does think Samuel is poised to have a better year.
“He’s been grinding,” Williams said. “He’s definitely been grinding, which I think with all great players, I think every offseason, even if it’s one percent you figure out how to do things a little bit better — whether it’s starting faster, starting later, figuring out ways to get your body healthy as opposed to just lifting weights. Everybody has their own recipe. So, I just looked at it as another part of his maturation.”
Samuel’s best season was 2021, when he caught 77 passes for 1,405 yards with six touchdowns and became a true run threat with 365 yards on 59 carries with eight TDs. That’s probably more in line with the production he’s looking to put out there in the coming year.
Trent Williams on Deebo Samuel: Everybody’s their own worst critic originally appeared on Pro Football Talk
