The Washington Commanders believed that Deebo Samuel Sr. would boost the offense's potential for explosive plays when they acquired him via trade from the San Francisco 49ers. They were looking for a player who could complement Terry McLaurin and take some of the attention off their No. 1 wideout.

Samuel taking on the top role for himself was not part of the plan, but for the last two weeks, he has been the Commanders' go-to target and taken the new responsibility in stride.

"As a playmaker, it kind of just spoke for itself when we traded for him," quarterback Jayden Daniels said Wednesday.

To be clear, McLaurin is still the Commanders' top receiver when healthy, but with him and Noah Brown sidelined with injuries, Samuel has stepped up in their absence and become one of the offense's b

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