Former Ohio State receiver activated off IR

The Washington Football Team is getting back wide receiver Curtis Samuel. According to NFL.com’s Ian Rapoport, the team has activated him off injured reserve and are expecting him to play this Sunday.

Samuel started the season on the IR list with a groin injury he has been dealing with since training camp. This week was the first he was able to practice three consecutive days since being placed on IR.

Samuel before Washington

Samuel played his college ball at Ohio State for current Jacksonville Jaguars coach Urban Meyer. With the Buckeyes, he was used in both the run and pass game. His final year at Ohio State was his most productive, both rushing and receiving. He had 97 rushes for 771 yards, eight touchdowns and averaged 7.9 yards per rush. Through the air, he has 74 catches for 865 yards 7 touchdowns, with an average of 11.7 yards per catch. He went on to finish his Ohio State career with 2500-plus all-purpose yards and 24 touchdowns.

Samuel was taken by the Carolina Panthers with the 40th overall pick in the second round of the 2017 NFL Draft. The 5-foot-1, multi-faceted player, Samuel was used primarily as a receiver by the Carolina Panthers. When he was drafted the Panthers, they already had two running backs featured in their backfield in Jonathan Stewart and Christian McCaffrey. McCaffery is another all-purpose offensive weapon the Panthers selected in the first round of the 2017 draft.

While he was often targeted on the field, he did not have very many yards receiving to show for it. His best year with the Panthers was his final in 2020 with Teddy Bridgewater at quarterback. Samuel was targeted 97 times and caught 77 of those attempts for 851 yards and three receiving touchdowns. With McCaffrey down most of 2020, he spent some time in the backfield as well. The former Buckeyes tailback had 41 rushing attempts for 200 yards 2 touchdowns and an average of 4.9 yards per rush.

What it means for Washington

For Washington, Samuel’s return should provide a jolt into the offense. The WFT brought him in in the offseason for three years to pair with another big-play threat on the team, Terry McLaurin. Unfortunately for Washington, with Samuel out there has been very little productivity at the receiver position outside of McLaurin. He has a total of 19 catches for 231 yards and a touchdown.

Washington is already down starting quarterback Ryan Fitzpatrick for what looks to be an extended period. But the injection of Curtis Samuel back into the lineup should help their offense produce. Taylor Heinicke has done his best distributing the ball through the air. But with only two legitimate pass-catching threats in McLaurin and tight end Logan Thomas he has struggled at times. With Samuel back look for the WFT’s offense to get back on track and try to defend their title of NFC East champs.