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  3. article_body => "<p>A week of big additions for the Washington Football Team continued Wednesday, as they came to terms on a deal with former Panthers wide receiver Curtis Samuel, NBC Sports Washington's JP Finlay has confirmed.<\/p>\r\n\r\n<drupal-url data-embed-button=\"url\" data-embed-url=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/JPFinlayNBCS\/status\/1372338133782630405\" data-entity-label=\"Embed social\" data-timestamp=\"1616027436\" data-url-provider=\"Twitter\"><\/drupal-url>\r\n\r\n<p>Samuel is expected to sign a three-year deal worth $34.5 million, according to NFL Network's <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/RapSheet\/status\/1372336715461976066\">Ian Rapoport<\/a>.<\/p>\r\n\r\n<p>The move comes after Washington&nbsp;came to terms with quarterback <a href=\"https:\/\/www.nbcsports.com\/washington\/football-team\/report-washington-football-team-quarterback-ryan-fitzpatrick-agree-one\">Ryan Fitzpatrick<\/a> on Monday&nbsp;in another move that should help spark the&nbsp;offense. Then, on Tuesday, Ron Rivera's club pounced on <a href=\"https:\/\/www.nbcsports.com\/washington\/football-team\/washington-makes-major-move-add-william-jackson-iii-maybe-best-cb-market\">William Jackson III<\/a>, grabbing a corner that will further round out an already respected defense.<\/p>\r\n\r\n<p>And now, the franchise is again turning its attention to Scott Turner's side of the ball, as it's landed a receiver that will do wonders for Fitzpatrick, Terry McLaurin and the whole unit overall.<\/p>\r\n\r\n<p><strong>Related: <a href=\"https:\/\/www.nbcsports.com\/washington\/football-team\/terry-mclaurin-fired-washingtons-addition-wr-curtis-samuel\">Terry McLaurin fired up by Washington's addition of Curtis Samuel<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\r\n\r\n<p>As an ex-Panther, Samuel has&nbsp;ties to Rivera, Turner and front office executive Marty Hurney. Because of his Carolina background, he's been linked to the team for months.&nbsp;<\/p>\r\n\r\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.nbcsports.com\/washington\/WashingtonFootballTalk\"><strong>Download and subscribe to the Washington Football Talk podcast<\/strong><\/a><\/p>\r\n\r\n<p><iframe height=\"230px\" src=\"https:\/\/art19.com\/shows\/washington-football\/episodes\/f028c1d9-6224-4722-943d-03f0b4362baa\/embed\" width=\"100%\"><\/iframe><\/p>\r\n\r\n<p>Acquiring Samuel makes total sense, and that goes well beyond&nbsp;his connections to numerous key people in the organization. He's young (he turns just 25 in August), he's fast and extremely versatile (whether he's catching passes or taking handoffs, he's always a threat to bust one) and he's the kind of dangerous contributor that should take a lot of pressure off of McLaurin.<\/p>\r\n\r\n<p>By the way, he and McLaurin overlapped together at Ohio State, so they're already used to attacking defenses while wearing the same uniform.<\/p>\r\n\r\n<p>As a pro, Samuel has increased his number of receptions in each of his first four seasons, and in 2020 with the Panthers, he compiled 77 grabs for 851 yards and three scores. As a runner, meanwhile, he converted 41 attempts into 200 yards and an additional&nbsp;two touchdowns.<\/p>\r\n\r\n<p>He, JD McKissic and Antonio Gibson can all make a difference in the air and on the ground, and it'll be insanely fun to see how Turner deploys those three along with McLaurin. Fitzpatrick is going to have himself legit weaponry in 2021.<\/p>\r\n\r\n<p>Even though Washington captured the most recent NFC East title, it entered this offseason badly needing to upgrade its offense; that crown wasn't earned because they were regular visitors of the end zone on a weekly basis, after all.<\/p>\r\n\r\n<p>Plucking Samuel from the market certainly qualifies as a notable upgrade, especially since he can impact a game in multiple ways. For the first time in some time, Washington's assembling an offense that will be able to hold its own, and likely even win a few contests on its own, going forward.<\/p>\r\n"
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Commanders

/ by Peter Hailey
Commanders

A week of big additions for the Washington Football Team continued Wednesday, as they came to terms on a deal with former Panthers wide receiver Curtis Samuel, NBC Sports Washington's JP Finlay has confirmed.

Samuel is expected to sign a three-year deal worth $34.5 million, according to NFL Network's Ian Rapoport.

The move comes after Washington came to terms with quarterback Ryan Fitzpatrick on Monday in another move that should help spark the offense. Then, on Tuesday, Ron Rivera's club pounced on William Jackson III, grabbing a corner that will further round out an already respected defense.

And now, the franchise is again turning its attention to Scott Turner's side of the ball, as it's landed a receiver that will do wonders for Fitzpatrick, Terry McLaurin and the whole unit overall.

Related: Terry McLaurin fired up by Washington's addition of Curtis Samuel

As an ex-Panther, Samuel has ties to Rivera, Turner and front office executive Marty Hurney. Because of his Carolina background, he's been linked to the team for months. 

Download and subscribe to the Washington Football Talk podcast

 

Acquiring Samuel makes total sense, and that goes well beyond his connections to numerous key people in the organization. He's young (he turns just 25 in August), he's fast and extremely versatile (whether he's catching passes or taking handoffs, he's always a threat to bust one) and he's the kind of dangerous contributor that should take a lot of pressure off of McLaurin.

By the way, he and McLaurin overlapped together at Ohio State, so they're already used to attacking defenses while wearing the same uniform.

As a pro, Samuel has increased his number of receptions in each of his first four seasons, and in 2020 with the Panthers, he compiled 77 grabs for 851 yards and three scores. As a runner, meanwhile, he converted 41 attempts into 200 yards and an additional two touchdowns.

He, JD McKissic and Antonio Gibson can all make a difference in the air and on the ground, and it'll be insanely fun to see how Turner deploys those three along with McLaurin. Fitzpatrick is going to have himself legit weaponry in 2021.

Even though Washington captured the most recent NFC East title, it entered this offseason badly needing to upgrade its offense; that crown wasn't earned because they were regular visitors of the end zone on a weekly basis, after all.

Plucking Samuel from the market certainly qualifies as a notable upgrade, especially since he can impact a game in multiple ways. For the first time in some time, Washington's assembling an offense that will be able to hold its own, and likely even win a few contests on its own, going forward.