WASHINGTON — The addition of star wide receiver Deebo Samuel, whom the Washington Commanders agreed on Saturday to acquire from the San Francisco 49ers, makes the team tougher, more versatile and more dangerous in space, especially on screens and underneath routes. Those are the areas in which Samuel has been elite at breaking tackles and racking up yards after the catch over the course of his career.

The 29-year-old plays a punishing, physical style that wears on the body. He dealt with calf, wrist, oblique and rib injuries last season, as well as an illness that kept him out of two full games and parts of others. Samuel has only missed nine games over the last four seasons, but even when he’s healthy, he’s sometimes struggled to stay well-conditioned.

In 2022, the 6-foot, 215-pound receiver said he was “awful” because he was out of shape. The San Francisco Standard’s Tim Kawakami, a long-time Bay Area columnist, said on his podcast last month that Samuel played “20 pounds overweight” last year, hampering both his explosiveness and ability to break tackles and leading to his worst season since his rookie year in 2019.

General manager Adam Peters is betting the Commanders can fix Samuel. Peters knows him well — he was the assistant GM when the 49ers took Samuel in the second round of the 2019 draft. And he only had to give up a fifth-round pick and $17.55 million in salary cap space to get Samuel, whom it appears will play this season on his current contract. Peters will count on offensive coordinator Kliff Kingsbury and quarterback Jayden Daniels to elevate Samuel just like they did last year with running back Austin Ekeler, 29, tight end Zach Ertz, 34, and others.

If it works, Samuel will be a perfect fit. Kingsbury can use Samuel’s versatility to create mismatches, especially in no-huddle, by toggling between three-receiver sets and two-running-back sets based on the defense. Samuel can beat slower linebackers and smaller defensive backs for explosive plays.

Last year, the Commanders lacked a creator on underneath routes. No one other than Ekeler could consistently turn short, easy passes into long gains, which put pressure on Daniels and Kingsbury to be perfect. But Samuel, even in a down year, still picked up an excellent 8.3 yards after the catch per reception and forced 15 missed tackles, according to Pro Football Focus, which was the 12th-most among all receivers.

Ideally, Samuel helps the Commanders win space wars. Terry McLaurin and another, not-yet-acquired receiver could stretch the field vertically while Samuel lurked on short and intermediate routes. If the defense dropped back, Samuel could eat up space underneath; if the defense stepped up, the vertical receivers could get one-on-one matchups.

While Samuel is a playmaker, he’s not a true No. 2 receiver opposite McLaurin. He’s not the best route runner out of static alignments, and can struggle to create separation. 49ers coach Kyle Shanahan often solved those problems by using him in presnap motion, and Kingsbury will probably do the same. Look for Samuel to take the receiver screens that last year went to Dyami Brown, who is a free agent.

What will Samuel bring as a rusher? Last year, he had 42 carries, a standard amount, but his yards per attempt declined from near an average of near six the previous three seasons to just 3.2.

He still found chunks on the perimeter but was often stuffed between the tackles. He’ll have to adapt to different types of runs with the Commanders — San Francisco goes under center often while Washington uses shotgun nearly exclusively — and Kingsbury will have to figure out how best to incorporate him into a rushing attack that struggled badly down the stretch last year.

If the Commanders can’t figure out how to run the ball better with running backs, defenses could key on Samuel when he lines up in the backfield or motions across the formation.

Regardless of scheme, Samuel’s attacking mindset will help solidify the style of play Kingsbury and coach Dan Quinn want from receivers.

Peters’s trade of 2022 first-round pick Jahan Dotson last summer was a sign of the team’s commitment to playing hard without the ball and blocking downfield. It paid off big time, especially in Washington’s divisional round upset of Detroit, and Samuel should cement the approach in a room that could feature several new faces.

The Commanders need at least one more legitimate threat at receiver. The team only has two wideouts under contract who played any snaps for them last year, McLaurin and Luke McCaffrey, and they could use a polished route runner opposite McLaurin. A familiar face like Noah Brown or a new one, such as Keenan Allen, Hollywood Brown or Darius Slayton, could be what they’re looking for.

Finding the right mix is up to Peters. It’s clear that, while trading for Samuel has obvious risks, the GM will keep being bold as he builds on his team’s ahead-of-schedule success while maximizing the window of his quarterback’s rookie contract.