The Pittsburgh Steelers have been going all in since the offseason, acquiring several established veterans, and that recently continued with the signing of cornerback Asante Samuel Jr. Samuel signed with Pittsburgh’s practice squad on Tuesday, and the goal is for him to eventually be elevated to the active roster and help the Steelers on their playoff push in the second half of the season.
Pittsburgh won what was a mid-season sweepstakes, of sorts, for the corner, after he sat out the first half of the season because of a spinal fusion procedure he underwent in April. While Samuel has since been cleared, the nature of his injury could have scared some teams off, but not the Steelers.
Turns out, Pittsburgh’s team neurosurgeon, Dr. David Okonkwo, actually performed Samuel’s surgery. That gave the Steelers first-hand knowledge of his health, giving them the comfort to sign him.
One added comfort level for the #Steelers: The doctor who performed Asante Samuel Jr's surgery is Dr. David Okonkwo, who is the #Steelers team neurosurgeon. His first-hand knowledge of the injury helped. Samuel, by the way, has passed his physical. https://t.co/eKk0oxK8TI
— Ian Rapoport (@RapSheet) November 12, 2025
The Pittsburgh Steelers' doctor performed Asante Samuel Jr.’s surgery
Teams could be hesitant about adding a player coming off a spinal fusion surgery, but in addition to Samuel being cleared and passing the team’s physical, having his surgeon on staff is another level of comfort for the team signing a player who’s coming off a serious injury. Now, Pittsburgh has a healthy Samuel, who has been a really good corner in this league.
Samuel was selected in the second round of the 2021 Draft by the Los Angeles Chargers. He immediately became an impact player for the Chargers, starting at corner for them. In four seasons, he played in 50 games, recording six interceptions, 37 pass deflections, and 176 tackles. Unfortunately, he only played in four games in his fourth season before being sidelined with an injury.
That was also a tough break for Samuel, because it was the final year of his rookie contract. After a really good four years, he was set to enter free agency with a lucrative market. Instead, he had an injury that required surgery and kept him sidelined throughout free agency and the first half of the season.
Fortunately, he is now healthy and has found himself on a team hoping to contend. Samuel will contribute to that goal as he works to get his career back on track.