A declining Deebo Samuel would do the Rams more harm than good

By all appearances, the Los Angeles Rams are content to enter training camp with two elite receivers in Puka Nacua and Davante Adams and no clear answer for a third option behind them. What they do have is an intriguing group of young players who do a lot of different things well. Any of them - namely, Jordan Whittington, Xavier Smith, Konata Mumpfield, and rookie CJ Daniels - could claim the WR3 role for himself. 

Of course, a handful of veteran free agents still linger in free agency. Stefon Diggs is there. Meh. The Rams don't need his drama. DeAndre Hopkins is a lower-upside, lower-chaos option. Frankly, he probably isn't much of an upgrade, or at least one worth investing in. 

Former 49ers receiver - no, not that one - Deebo Samuel, most recently a Commander, is the latest available veteran being thrown at the Rams. He has more juice left than Hopkins, at least, and his price tag would be lower than Diggs'. Does that make Samuel the answer to L.A.'s prayers?

No, it does not. Bringing him into the fold would only disrupt the development of the team's younger receivers right when the Rams need them to hit the turbo booster.

Rams shouldn't waste their time pursuing shell of Samuel's prime self

Samuel was solid last season in Washington. He finished with 72 catches for 727 yards and five touchdowns, plus one rushing. Entering Year 8 he is nowhere near his brief Niners peak, but he could probably give the Rams what they need out of a No. 3 receiver. 

In reality, that's likely not much more than anything Whittington or the others could accomplish. Perhaps that seems like a ludicrous thing to say, but for one thing, Samuel put up those modest numbers as Washington's leading receiver. During the seven games Terry McLaurin missed, Samuel served as WR1. Jaylin Lane came in third among Commanders wideouts with 225 receiving yards. It's not like Samuel had much competition.

Of course, Washington receivers didn't have Jayden Daniels at quarterback for more than half the year, due to his injuries. Catching passes from Marcus Mariota in 2026 isn't exactly a wideout's dream.

Be that as it may, with the Rams, Samuel would not draw anything near the 99 targets he did last season. On top of his declining play and durability concerns, he brings attitude issues of his own - not quite as dramatic as Diggs' or those of his former teammate, Brandon Aiyuk, but issues nonetheless.

If he wasn't happy with his target share in the past, he certainly couldn't expect to be fed on a regular basis in L.A. playing behind Nacua and Adams. Notwithstanding, he would want to be paid at more than the rookie-scale salaries the young bucks are making. Samuel could command an estimated annual value of $15.77 million on a two-year deal, per Spotrac. Yeah...no.

Samuel's underwhelming production and other drawbacks would only be compounded by his effect on Rams youngsters. The receiver room doesn't need another veteran for the sake of having a veteran; Adams is the resident mentor. Funneling targets away from Whittington, Smith, Mumpfield and even Daniels isn't what Sean McVay needs in his offense. 

If all else fails, he can lean into tight end Terrance Ferguson as a hybrid receiver, a role Ferguson already flashed upside in as a rookie.

For both this season and beyond, what McVay needs is to figure out which of his young targets will emerge as a viable option. With reps and opportunity, one of them will. The Rams aren't asking them to catch 60 balls for 800 yards. Half of that might do the trick. With Adams on an expiring deal and set to turn 34 this season, the team needs to know what kind of future depth resides on the roster. 

The Rams won't find that out by adding Samuel. Instead, they would be paying for a shell of the player he was, one unlikely to give them a meaningful upgrade or stick around beyond this season. Pass. 

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