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Washington offensive coordinator Scott Turner: Curtis Samuel 'just scratching the surface on what he's capable of'

Curtis Samuel is the centerpiece of the Washington Football Teams' offseason weapons upgrade.

The dynamic wideout has proven he can be a threat from anywhere on the field, giving Washington offensive coordinator Scott Turner multiple options in deploying Samuel and star Terry McLaurin together.

Turner, who was in Carolina with Samuel for two seasons -- including taking over as OC after Ron Rivera was fired in 2019 -- recently told the "Washington Football Talk" podcast that the receiver is "high energy" and can improve leaps and bounds.

"You can do a lot of different things with him," Turner said via Washington Wire. "He's only 24-years-old, I think he's just scratching the surface on what he's capable of."

In 2020 under Matt Rhule, Samuel proved he could be a menace anywhere on the field, including taking snaps as a running back. He compiled 77 catches for 851 yards (both career highs) and three touchdowns and added a career-high 41 rushes for 200 yards and two ground scores.

It took Rhule entering the picture for the Panthers to truly unlock Samuel's skillset. Previously, he tallied 31 combined carries under Mike Shula (2017) and Norv and Scott Turner (2018-2019).

Now, in Washington, Turner has the blueprint to how Samuel's versatility can be an asset. It's the OC's job to build upon that foundation in Washington.

"Yeah, I'm fired up, man. Curtis is one of my all-time favorite guys," Turner said.

Last year, Washington couldn't find a sidekick for McLaurin. Enter Samuel, fellow free-agent addition Adam Humphries and third-round rookie Dyami Brown. The NFC East champs have more firepower to aid new QB Ryan Fitzpatrick than they did at any point last season.

Tune in to the 2021 NFL Schedule release at 8 p.m. ET on Wednesday, May 12, on NFL Network, NFL.com and the NFL app.

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