Deebo Samuel Has A Skillset The Denver Broncos Could Use, But His Price Point In Free Agency May Be Too High

How the Denver Broncos approach altering their wide receiver room is one of the big questions fans across Broncos Country have this offseason. Their top four consists of Courtland Sutton, Marvin Mims Jr., Troy Franklin, and Pat Bryant. That’s a talented group of players with versatile skill sets. Though many fans are hoping the Broncos opt to make another big addition to the squad.

Will that happen? Only time will tell. Both Head Coach Sean Payton and General Manager George Paton have given glowing praise of all four of those players. While it’s an area many across Broncos Country are hoping for improvement, it remains to be seen how aggressive they will be pursuing an addition or upgrade to the room.

Last offseason, it was rumored that Deebo Samuel had potential interest in joining the Broncos. However, he was eventually traded to the Washington Commanders instead. Now that Samuel is set to hit the market, Denver could potentially revisit him as an option, as they would not have to surrender any draft capital to acquire him. Let’s take a look at why Samuel would be a fit in the Mile High City, along with several reasons why he may not wind up being on Denver’s free agent radar.

Player Profile

Wide Receiver | Deebo Samuel | Washington Commanders

Height: 6’0”

Weight: 215 pounds

Age: 30 years old

Experience: 7 NFL seasons

2025 stats: 16 games played with 12 starts. 72 receptions on 99 targets for 727 yards and 5 touchdowns. 32 first down receptions. 73-percent catch rate with 6 drops.

Should the Broncos sign wide receiver Deebo Samuel?

A second-round pick of the San Francisco 49ers in the 2019 NFL Draft, Samuel is a seven-year NFL veteran who has made a lot of bigtime plays. Appearing in 97 games with 85 starts, he has reeled in 406 catches for 5,519 yards and 27 touchdowns. His versatility as a runner has been on display with 219 carries for 1,218 yards and 21 touchdowns.

His peak year came in 2021 when he had 77 catches and 1,405 receiving yards and 6 touchdowns. He added 8 touchdowns and 365 yards on the ground and was a first-team All-Pro and Pro-Bowler for his efforts. Since then, there has been a drastic drop-off in his production, amassing over 1,000 all-purpose yards one since that season.

Some would argue Samuel isn’t the impact player he once was, though I feel he could be a valuable addition to Denver’s offense. They need another player outside of Sutton who can consistently move the chains. 55-percent of Deebo’s career catches have resulted in first downs. He has also made an impact moving the chains as a runner too.

Short throws and the screen game have been a staple of Head Coach Sean Payton’s offense for years. Even with Davis Webb calling plays in 2016, I don’t expect that is going to go away. Since coming into the league in 2019, Samuel has been one of the most dynamic receivers when it comes to yards after the catch. Over 3,500 of his receiving yards are due to that, and an 8.7 yard after the catch mark for his career is elite.

Being more efficient after the catch is an area the Broncos need to see improvement on that. A lot of that has to do with issues with executing with their blocking. Nevertheless, there is no doubt Samuel’s elite calling card is his evasiveness and ability to make defenders miss in the open field. That would be a big boost to Denver’s offensive endeavors in ‘26.

Why the Broncos will not sign Deebo Samuel in free agency.

As I had mentioned in my article on Jauan Jennings, the Broncos will have a certain price point for players they aren’t willing to go over. It’s expected Denver will be aggressive in the offseason. However, owner and CEO Greg Penner emphasized Denver will be calculated in their approach.

Spotrac projects Samuel to command an annual salary of $15.8 million on the open market. That would rank 25th in the NFL and be the second-highest payout for a receiver on the team next to Courtland Sutton. While his YAC ability would be huge for Denver, the Broncos’ brass might be willing to bank on their young receivers making enough strides to forego spending big on a receiver in free agency.

Final Thoughts

Do I think Samuel would be a good addition for Denver? Absolutely. The offense needs more playmakers. I think he would help make their passing game more efficient—especially with screen plays. His skillset would also add versatility to their running game that needs some pizzazz. The Broncos would be a better team with him in the fold.

That being said, I’m just not confident the Broncos will dole out huge bucks to get a wide receiver. It’s a route they may prefer to upgrade via the NFL Draft which is incredibly talented and deep at the position. Making sense of all the offseason rumors and conjecture isn’t easy, but Denver spending big to snag Kenneth Walker of Travis Etienne at running back to address their RB1 need seems more plausible—even if there are those who don’t like the idea of spending big at that position.

What do you think, Broncos Country? Would you be in favor of the Broncos signing Deebo Samuel to bolster their receiving corps? Or are you hoping they address their need there elsewhere? Sound off in the comments section and let me know what you think.