Deebo Samuel Sr. returned to Levi’s Stadium in a San Francisco 49ers uniform Sunday and found a loud home crowd waiting after a year away.
The 49ers beat the Miami Dolphins 35-13 to move to 2-0. They scored touchdowns on their first five possessions, the first time they had done that since 1991.
Samuel caught three of four targets for 31 yards. His longest gain was 21 yards. He also had one carry for four yards.
The modest stat line came in a game Brock Purdy barely needed to throw. Purdy completed 20 of 22 passes for 287 yards and two touchdowns, added a rushing score and posted a 149.1 passer rating before leaving in the fourth quarter.
San Francisco outgained Miami 382-284 and did not punt until the fourth quarter. Christian McCaffrey ran 10 times for 23 yards but scored twice, including the 100th touchdown of his career.
George Kittle led the receivers with four catches for 80 yards and a touchdown. Mike Evans had three receptions for 54 yards before leaving with a hip injury. Demarcus Robinson added three catches for 34 yards before a high-ankle sprain ended his afternoon.
Samuel signed a one-year deal worth up to $7 million in July after one season with the Washington Commanders. He had 72 catches for 727 yards and five touchdowns in Washington in 2025. The 49ers brought him back after Ricky Pearsall’s knee injury left the receiver room thin.
Through two games this season, Samuel has nine receptions for 79 yards and one touchdown on 11 targets. He has also rushed twice for 16 yards. In Week 1 against the Rams in Australia he had six catches for 48 yards and a score.
The 30-year-old was a second-round pick in 2019 and spent his first six seasons in San Francisco. He earned first-team All-Pro honors in 2021 after 1,770 yards from scrimmage.
Injuries keep shrinking the 49ers’ wide-receiver depth. Rookie De’Zhaun Stribling had ankle surgery after Week 1 and is expected to miss about 10 weeks. Christian Kirk remains on injured reserve. Jordan Watkins, a 2025 fourth-round pick, was inactive for a second straight game.
Coach Kyle Shanahan said after the game that the team will likely add another receiver this week. Evans is expected to be fine. Robinson is likely out multiple weeks.
Samuel spent part of pregame playing catch with fans, a habit from his first stretch with the club. After the win he talked about the noise when the team was introduced.
“It felt great [playing at Levi’s Stadium again],” Samuel said. “We did the announcement before the game, came out and felt like the ground was shaking, man. I appreciate these fans for sure.”
He added that he approaches every game the same way.
“I treat every game the same; just go out there and get ready to play,” Samuel said. “I miss [playing catch with the fans] a lot. That’s kind of something I always did because I go out with the returners, and we’d be out there for a good bit of time with nothing to do. So I just play catch with the fans.”
Linebacker Fred Warner praised Purdy’s command of the offense after the near-perfect passing day. The 49ers host the Arizona Cardinals next Sunday.
San Francisco has started 2-0 in consecutive seasons for the first time since 1995-96. The next month includes Denver, Seattle and Washington, so the remaining healthy receivers will be asked to carry a heavier load.
