Deebo Samuel was harsh on himself for his self-assessed "awful" 2022 NFL season, but he promised to come back stronger. So far, he's holding up his end of the bargain.
"This offseason is pretty good for me," Samuel told reporters Wednesday at training camp. "I'd say this is probably the best shape that I've been in since 2019. You got that long time of working out, long time of preparation, and I took those 40 days away and really got to it and got to where I wanted to be.
"I feel kind of faster, lighter on my feet, easier to change direction."
Stay in the game with the latest updates on your beloved Bay Area and California sports teams! Sign up here for our All Access Daily newsletter.
While critiquing his 2022 on-field performance, the wide receiver pointed to his eventful offseason last summer when he requested a trade from San Francisco while waiting for a contract extension as a reason for his disappointing fourth season with the 49ers.
The 27-year-old ended up signing a three-year extension worth $73.5 million, and he was ready to turn the page and focus on football. But when his performance didn't match his own expectations, he committed to lock in and get back to his 2021 form.
In 2021, Samuel racked up 1,405 receiving yards and 365 rushing yards with 14 all-purpose touchdowns, good enough to earn him First-Team All-Pro honors.
San Francisco 49ers
After a strenuous offseason last year, Samuel made sure to enjoy some time to himself before diving deep into offseason workouts.
"[I] really locked in," Samuel said. "Me and my girl took like one trip right when OTAs was over and then after that, I was locked in in Arizona. I think the heat kind of played a part in that, too, 'cause Arizona is hot. I had a great trainer, Nick Hill.
"We were doing a lot of running, a lot of cardio, a lot of stuff to kind of trim the fat a little bit. A lot of track working out, and then I got into a routine of flexibility, mobility and then got into boxing a little bit."
It's clear that Samuel has both his mind and body right before the start of the season. Now, it'll be on him to back it up and prove it on the field.