The San Francisco 49ers kicked off training camp with a Wednesday-morning practice in Santa Clara. Deebo Samuel was on hand, and the wide receiver looked noticeably sleeker.
This was probably no surprise to head coach Kyle Shanahan, who on Tuesday joked that his wide receiver kept in contact in recent weeks, showing off the results of his offseason efforts.
"Never had a grown man send me so many pictures with his shirt off, but it looks good, and I can tell he's put the work in," Shanahan told reporters.
Samuel admits that his 2022 performance was a disappointment, going as far as calling last year's results "awful." The wide receiver is looking to avoid a repeat of last season's performance and discussed his new sleeker look with reporters on Wednesday.
"I'd say this is probably the best shape that I've been in since I since the 2019 year," Samuel said. "You know, you got that long time of working out, a long time of preparation. I took them 40 days away and really got to it, and got to where I wanted to be."
Samuel revealed that he feels faster and lighter on his feet, making it easier to change directions on routes. His hard work wasn't the only thing contributing to his improved form. The receiver worked out in Arizona in the weeks leading to training camp.
"I think the heat kind of played a part in that, too, because Arizona is hot," Samuel explained. "So, had a great trainer, Nick Hill. I mean, we was 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. Then I got into a routine of flexibility, mobility, and then I got into boxing a little bit."
The receiver couldn't escape without being asked (by Eric Branch of the San Francisco Chronicle) about the shirtless photos sent to his head coach. He laughed at the question.
"Kyle's kind of funny, man. We was choppin' it up," Samuel shared. "I told him what my goal was coming back. But I had sent him a video, the one I had put on Instagram, me catching the ball. And he was like, 'Yeah, this is what I like to see.' And I was like, 'Yeah, whatever,' just kind of joking a little bit."