49ers who can’t let Brock Purdy down vs. Buccaneers
By Peter Panacy
No. 3: 49ers wide receiver Deebo Samuel
With Jimmy Garoppolo exiting last Sunday’s contest early, Brock Purdy looked for his top two offensive weapons the most, running back Christian McCaffrey and wide receiver Deebo Samuel.
Not a bad plan.
Samuel and McCaffrey each had 10 targets versus the Dolphins, and it’s not going to be surprising to see both players wind up playing a crucial role in ensuring Purdy’s life isn’t too difficult.
McCaffrey can’t afford to let Purdy down as either a runner or receiving option out of the backfield, yet Samuel is called out here for one notable reason that could be an issue for a rookie quarterback: dropping his passes.
Pro Football Focus credits Samuel with five dropped passes on the year, and the last one was back against the Arizona Cardinals in Week 11.
The tradeoff might simply be Samuel being fully reliable, not just avoiding any drop issues that have been there from earlier this year but making one or two of those high-impact grabs that fully elevate Purdy.