Deebo Samuel reaches historic rushing yards milestone

Deebo Samuel missed out on reaching 1,000 yards receiving for the second time in his career, but the San Francisco 49ers star still managed to make history in their regular-season finale. Samuel played limited snaps in the 49ers' defeat to the Los Angeles Rams in a meaningless Week 18 encounter. Even as they protected one […]

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Jan 7, 2024; Santa Clara, California, USA; San Francisco 49ers wide receiver Deebo Samuel (19) carries the ball against the Los Angeles Rams during the first quarter at Levi's Stadium.
Darren Yamashita-USA TODAY Sports

Deebo Samuel missed out on reaching 1,000 yards receiving for the second time in his career, but the San Francisco 49ers star still managed to make history in their regular-season finale.

Samuel played limited snaps in the 49ers' defeat to the Los Angeles Rams in a meaningless Week 18 encounter.

Even as they protected one of their two most versatile weapons from injury, Samuel made it to a career milestone in recording 11 rushing yards on one carry.

That took him to 1,007 rushing yards for his career.

At the end of the 2023 regular season, Samuel also has 4,122 receiving yards for his career, making him only the second player in NFL history to reach 4,000 receiving yards and 1,000 rushing yards in their first five seasons.

Samuel joins Pro Football Hall of Famer Charley Taylor in that extremely select club, Taylor achieving the feat in his first five seasons with Washington.

Taylor's rushing impact declined after his first five seasons, and he finished his career with 9,110 receiving yards and 1,488 yards on the ground. 

Playing as a focal point of a devastatingly efficient Kyle Shanahan offense, Samuel should have ample opportunities to surpass Taylor's numbers.

Right now, though, the emphasis will be on harnessing his remarkable versatility to such an extent that it helps the Niners claim a long-awaited sixth Super Bowl title.