The San Francisco 49ers moved on from wide receiver Deebo Samuel this offseason by trading him to the Washington Commanders. When a social media account went after Samuel, George Kittle came to his former teammate's defense immediately.
The account basically seemed to imply that Samuel has lost a step or is running routes with considerably less speed, but Kittle was having none of it:
It’s called group install when players jog thru plays. Knock it off
— George Kittle (@gkittle46) June 12, 2025
The star tight end replied to the account's post by saying that the Commanders were running a "group install" at their practice, which involves players jogging through plays rather than going full-out.
Former Seattle Seahawks linebacker and current Commanders player Bobby Wagner replied to Kittle by saying, "Exactly."
Even though it is true that this is a normal part of practice, that does not change the narrative surrounding Samuel that he has lost a step. There were reports last season that Samuel was 20 pounds overweight, and the fact there was a considerable drop in his production fed into a narrative that he was out of shape and on the decline.
The numbers do not lie, and 2024 was arguably Samuel's worst year as a pro. In 15 games, he had 670 receiving yards and three touchdown catches on the year. He only had 136 rushing yards on a career-worst 3.2 yards per carry.
The former All-Pro has a chance to silence the doubters with a new team this season, but until he does, the chatter and narrative is going to be that Deebo is slow and has lost a step or two.
Nonetheless, it is cool to see Kittle stick up for his former teammate even though he is on a different team. That speaks to the bond those two made from their years together in San Francisco and the countless battles they went through.
It really seems like there is no visible bad blood between Samuel and anyone in the 49ers' organization. He penned a heartfelt goodbye to the organization and its fans after he was traded and publicly congratulated Brock Purdy after his big extension.
The fact that there has not been any war of words between Samuel and the Niners speaks to the guy he is but also speaks to the chemistry and bonds of affection that have been created in San Francisco.
Kittle and the 49ers will be rooting for Deebo to succeed in Washington and it seems like he certainly wants what is best for the Niners as well which is great to see.