Former San Francisco 49ers star wide receiver Deebo Samuel was traded to the Washington Commanders back in March in exchange for a fifth-round NFL draft pick.
Samuel had spent six seasons with the 49ers and quickly became a huge favorite among 49ers fans for his physical style of play and general big play-making ability from just about anywhere head coach Kyle Shanahan lined him up on the field.
But with the immense popularity often came some pretty harsh criticism, sometimes for a subpar showing, though most of it usually centered around reports of Samuel showing up to training camp overweight.
George Kittle (left), Travis Kelce, and Greg Olsen speak on stage during the Tight Ends & Friends Concert at Brooklyn Bowl Nashville on June 18, 2024 in Nashville, Tennessee. Carly Mackler/Getty Images
So on Wednesday afternoon, after a 21-second clip of Deebo running two routes was posted to X where the 29-year-old wideout appeared to be running pretty slow, the predictable comments about his weight quickly flowed in at a steady pace.
The viral video and its accompanying criticism eventually made its way to former teammate and All-Pro tight end George Kittle, who was quick to slam the door shut on all the fat jokes and endless "he's cooked" comments.
It's called group install when players jog thru plays. Knock it off
— George Kittle (@gkittle46) June 12, 2025
"It's called group install when players jog thru plays. Knock it off," Kittle said in response to the question of, "What do you notice?"
The question being posed was a pretty obvious invitation for an avalanche of jokes and with over 1.2 million views on the post and a sea of harsh comments, we can safely consider the mission was accomplished.
While Kittle is known to be just about as loyal as it comes in terms of being a great teammate, both past and present, the five-time All-Pro clearly knows his football and "Group Install" is very much a thing that absolutely involves jogging through plays.
Kittle's notable clarification received was quickly supported by 13-year NFL veteran linebacker Bobby Wagner, who succinctly said, "Exactly."
And that's probably all anyone really needs to know about the clip.
Time will surely tell for Samuel when Week 1 of the NFL season rolls around and he officially suits up for the Commanders, hitting the field at full speed.
But generally speaking, it's probably a sound idea to listen to the pros when it comes to very brief clips that often leave a lot room for a wide range of interpretation and open season for exaggerated snark, like "Impressive route given the piano on his back."
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