Two games into the season, Carolina Panthers offensive coordinator Joe Brady said he knew he had to get wide receiver Curtis Samuel more involved in the offense.
The fourth-year wideout had taken a backseat behind Robby Anderson and D.J. Moore in the receiving game and it didn't look like the breakout season that many were hoping for in the final year of his contract would come.
Through eight games, Samuel's 262 receiving yards on 29 receptions isn't anything special, but Brady did find a way to get Samuel more involved.
With big plays coming in the run game, as a blocker and most notably, hauling in pivotal catches on third down, the definition of success for Samuel hasn't been just putting up eye-popping numbers.
"Each and every (year), I’ve got to get better as a player," Samuel said. "If I'm doing exactly what I did last year, that's not good enough for me. I have to do whatever the role may be to be an impact player on this team - receiving the ball, running the ball, blocking, whatever the case may be, it's be a better player each and every year, every game and every week."
The things that don't show on paper is when Moore ran for a touchdown four games ago at Atlanta and Samuel blocked multiple defenders to help lead Moore to the goal line.
"I'm a guy that likes to see other players do well," Samuel said. "I like to make plays for my teammates. I'm a teammate guy and not worried too much about myself. In Atlanta, running down the field and making those blocks down the field for D.J. to score, that was an amazing feeling for me."
That team-first mentality to go along with his abilities is why Brady knew he had to use Samuel more.
"He's such a dynamic weapon that is willing to do anything to help the team win," Brady said. "You want to get the ball to him as much as possible and you know when you can he'll make a play, but you know when it's not, you watch what he does and he's an incredible teammate and an incredible football player."
With new quarterback Teddy Bridgewater running the offense, Samuel has caught 85.3 percent of his 34 targets this year, which is third in the league among receivers.
Of his catches, 12 of them have converted third downs into first downs. Samuel also led the league entering Sunday's games with 16 receptions on third down.
As a result, he's made a nickname for himself the last few weeks: "Mr. Third Down."
"My mindset is whenever the play is called, no matter first, second or third down, it just happens to be third down, my job is to go out there and make plays," Samuel said. "In order to score touchdowns in this league, you’ve got to be able to convert on third down.
“As long as we keep the drive going, that's how we're going to be able to put points up on the board and help our team win games."
When Samuel missed the Panthers matchup two weeks ago against Chicago, his absence was noticeable as the Panthers went a mere 3-for-13 on third down.
"I think Curtis has been huge for any type of success we've had and a lot of it has to do with Curtis Samuel," Brady said. "So much of what Curtis does doesn't necessarily show up in the stat book. I think that it shows the type of player he is."
Samuel has also played a role in taking snaps at running back the last few weeks with Christian McCaffrey out. In fact, his first touchdown of the season came on the ground at New Orleans.
It’s a role he hasn’t played in the NFL, but he did play running back some while in college at Ohio State.
Last game against the Falcons, Samuel scored a rushing and receiving touchdown for the third time in his career, the second-most such games ever by a wide receiver, trailing only Hall of Famer Jerry Rice.
"The way you get more involved in the offense or add more value to the team is learning different spots," Samuel said. "Being able to be anywhere on the field, just knowing multiple positions gives me the flexibility to touch the ball in many ways and give defenses different looks. Just scheme things around and move me around, it definitely takes a lot, so I have to study the book, but I feel like I'm a pretty smart football player so it's not too much for me."
Yet, if you ask Samuel to talk more about the individual success that he's having, he'll make sure to bring the conversation right back to the team.
"I'm an unselfish guy," he said. "My main thing is about winning games. How can I help this team win games? Whatever the case may be, whatever the role I'm in, I'm going to go out there and do it to the best of my ability."