Deebo Samuel's viral minicamp video sparks weight gain talks, George Kittle defends teammate

George Kittle defended former teammate Deebo Samuel after a video sparked criticism of Samuel's running speed at minicamp.

Washington Commanders wide receiver Deebo Samuel had gone viral for looking very slow and thumpy while running routes at minicamp, and fans left no chance to mock the WR.

Washington Commanders wide receiver Deebo Samuel Sr. (1) works out during practice at NFL football minicamp, Wednesday, June 11, 2025, in Ashburn, Va. (AP Photo/Nick Wass) (AP)

Now, guess who came to his defence? Former teammate George Kittle, they may now wear different jerseys, but the bond between the two remains diamond strong.

Notably, as the Washington Commanders kicked off their second day of mandatory minicamp, a short video of Deebo Samuel running a route surfaced online and quickly started making the rounds on social media. The clip didn’t show anything flashy; in fact, Samuel looked like he was jogging more than sprinting.

Kittle shuts down critics of Samuel

However, fans started joking “that it looks like he is running with a ‘piano’ on his back.”

“Unbelievable—I’m 50+ years old and run faster than that when I’m playing Backyard football with my kids and nephews,” one quipped.

The San Francisco 49ers star tight end stepped into the comment section to back up his longtime teammate. “It’s called group install when players jog thru plays. Knock it off,” he responded on the viral post. His defence earned more than 215,000 impressions, hundreds of reposts, and thousands of likes in just hours.

The two played side-by-side in San Francisco for five seasons and formed a close bond both on and off the field. Kittle had already been in the league for two years when Samuel was drafted 36th overall out of South Carolina in 2019.

From the start, Samuel made his presence felt, starting 11 games as a rookie and finishing with over 800 receiving yards and three touchdowns.

Injuries slowed him down in his sophomore year, but in 2021, Samuel exploded onto the scene. That season, he racked up 1,405 receiving yards and six receiving touchdowns and added another 365 yards and eight scores as a rusher.

Samuel in total has played 81 games for the 49ers, with over 4,000 receiving yards and 1,100 rushing yards to his name. He’s also been a major postseason contributor, with nearly 1,000 total yards across four playoff runs.