Position | Offensive Tackle
Born | Mobile, Alabama
Date-of-Birth | July 28, 1977
Height | 6’5″
Weight | 310 lbs
College | Alabama
NFL Career | 10 seasons
Teams | Washington Redskins 2000-2009
Career Highlights
- Third overall pick of the Washington Redskins in the 2000 NFL Draft — the only offensive tackle taken in the top 19 that year, and the first Alabama offensive lineman drafted in the first round since 1978
- Played his entire 10-season career with Washington
- Started all 141 games he appeared in
- Featured on the cover of Sports Illustrated alongside running back Stephen Davis in December 2001
- Helped Stephen Davis set a Redskins single-season rushing record (1,421 yards, 2001)
- Helped Clinton Portis become just the fourth Redskin ever to rush for 1,000-plus yards in a season, doing it in back-to-back years
- Washington 90 Greatest
- Washington Commanders Ring of Fame (2019)
- Alabama Sports Hall of Fame (2016)
Awards
- 6x Pro Bowl (2001, 2002, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2008)
- First-team All-Pro (2001)
- PFWA All-Rookie Team (2000)
- Ed Block Courage Award (2002)
- Outland Trophy (1999, college)
- Jacobs Blocking Trophy (1999, college)
- Unanimous All-American (1999, college)
- First-team All-SEC (1999, college)
Chris Samuels Anchored Washington’s Line for a Decade, With a Secret He Never Shared
Chris Samuels was born July 28, 1977, in Mobile, Alabama, and the former NFL offensive tackle spent his entire 10-year career with the Washington Redskins. A dominant left tackle and six-time Pro Bowler, he anchored the offensive line as a true franchise cornerstone. He did it all while carrying a secret that could have ended his career the moment anyone found out.
Early Life and College Career
Samuels grew up in Mobile, Alabama, the son of a disabled Vietnam War veteran. He attended John Shaw High School in Mobile, where he played both offense and defense.
At the University of Alabama (1996–1999), he developed into one of the premier offensive linemen in college football. He started 42 consecutive games and blocked for star running back Shaun Alexander. His senior season was as close to perfect as an offensive lineman’s can get: he didn’t allow a single sack or quarterback pressure all year. He won the Outland Trophy as the nation’s top interior lineman, took home the SEC’s Jacobs Blocking Trophy, and earned unanimous All-American honors.
An Immediate Anchor
Washington traded up to take Samuels third overall in the 2000 draft. He started immediately as a rookie, earning Co-Offensive Rookie of the Month honors before a neck injury cut his first season short, though he was named to the PFWA All-Rookie Team
The big tackle came back in 2001 to start all 16 games and earn his first Pro Bowl selection, a breakout year that landed him and running back Stephen Davis on the cover of Sports Illustrated that December.
The Line’s Steady Leader
Samuels became the anchor of Washington’s offensive line for the rest of the decade, making the Pro Bowl five more times between 2002 and 2008. He started all 141 regular-season games he played (plus three postseason starts)—a remarkable durability mark.
He signed a seven-year, $47 million contract in 2005 to stay in Washington long-term, and he delivered on it. Under offensive line coach Joe Bugel (who returned in 2004), Samuels refined his technique and became even more consistent. He blocked for multiple 1,000-yard rushers, including Clinton Portis’s franchise-record 1,516-yard season in 2005, and was widely regarded as one of the top left tackles in the league during his prime. Teammates and coaches praised his athleticism, intelligence, toughness, and quiet leadership.
Playing Through a Hidden Danger
What Samuels didn’t reveal until after his career ended was the real risk he faced on every single play. He’d played his entire NFL career with a spinal condition (stenosis) that put him at risk of paralysis with any serious hit to the head. He’d lost feeling in his body more than once during games. His career finally ended in 2009, after a collision with a Carolina Panthers defender left him temporarily limp on the field, and doctors told him plainly it was time to walk away for good.
Legacy and Post-Playing Career
C-Sam ranks among the franchise’s all-time great offensive linemen and has been included on the Washington 90 Greatest list and inducted into the Commanders Ring of Fame.
He returned to Alabama as an assistant offensive line coach from 2012 to 2014, part of the staff for the Crimson Tide’s 2012 national championship team. He’s continued coaching since, currently serving as offensive coordinator at Mattie T. Blount High School in Prichard, Alabama, passing along the same fundamentals that made him one of the best pass protectors of his era.
Quiet and professional rather than flashy, he led by example and left a lasting mark as one of the most productive and durable left tackles in Redskins history.
Our photo of Chris Samuels at the Redskins 2003 training camp was spectacular
Career Statistics
| Team | Year | G | GS | Hold | False Start | All Pen. | Pro Bowl |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Washington | 2000 | 16 | 16 | 5 | 5 | 10 | |
| Washington | 2001 | 16 | 16 | 3 | 4 | 7 | PB |
| Washington | 2002 | 15 | 15 | 3 | 0 | 5 | PB |
| Washington | 2003 | 13 | 13 | 2 | 7 | 10 | |
| Washington | 2004 | 16 | 16 | 1 | 3 | 4 | |
| Washington | 2005 | 16 | 16 | 2 | 2 | 4 | PB |
| Washington | 2006 | 16 | 16 | 1 | 3 | 5 | PB |
| Washington | 2007 | 16 | 16 | 0 | 5 | 5 | PB |
| Washington | 2008 | 12 | 12 | 4 | 1 | 5 | PB |
| Washington | 2009 | 5 | 5 | 0 | 0 | 0 | |
| Career Total | 10 seasons | 141 | 141 | 21 | 30 | 55 | 6x PB |
G = Games played, GS = Games started, Hold = Holding penalties, False Start = False start penalties, All Pen. = All penalties (regular season, from play-by-play data). Samuels started every single game he played across his 10-year career — a remarkably rare feat for any position. Stats via Pro Football Reference.
Staff Notes:
One year at training camp – circa 2004 or 2005 – we gave Chris one of our site merch t-shirts – a XXXL. Two days later, Chrs took off his gear after practice to do an interview and was wearing the tee underneath his gear.
An amazing moment me, that few will understand the magnitude of.
He even let us use the photo to sell tees after:
