The Pittsburgh Steelers were set to meet with free agent cornerback Asante Samuel Jr. on Wednesday of this week, with the former Los Angeles Charger finally healthy enough to meet with potential suitors. Luckily for Pittsburgh, a meeting wasn't even needed for him to join the squad.
According to multiple reports, Samuel Jr. is joining the Steelers' practice squad. Fans may be surprised to see a player of his caliber start on the practice squad, but it will take time for the young corner to get back into game shape after having last played over a year ago.
Make no mistake, however: Pittsburgh made this signing with the intention of making Samuel Jr. a starting member of their ailing secondary. With Darius Slay both injured and ineffective, a new boundary corner was desperately needed for the Steelers. With no move made at the NFL trade deadline, this is as good an option as they could have hoped for.
The Pittsburgh Steelers adding Asante Samuel Jr. has huge implications
While the Steelers' offense has been under fire as of late, the defense has been the bigger problem over the course of the season's first half. The pass defense, in particular, has been one of the league's worst by most metrics. Part of that has been the pass rush taking a step back compared to recent years, but you could argue that a major reason for that has been the issues in the secondary.
Pittsburgh made significant investments in its secondary this offseason, but they have mostly failed to produce the results they were hoping for. Jalen Ramsey has been forced into a free safety role thanks to an injury to DeShon Elliott, while the aforementioned Slay has been one of the worst starting corners in football.
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Add in disappointing years from Jory Porter Jr. and the recently released Juan Thornhill, and it was clear that a move had to be made to bolster the backend. It's rare to see a player with Samuel Jr.'s pedigree available at this point in the season, but his back injury kept him from finding a new home this offseason.
Now cleared to return following spinal fusion surgery, the hope is that he can return to the level of play he showed before his injury-riddled 2024. From 2021-23, he amassed six interceptions and a whopping 35 passes defensed, showing the ability to consistently make plays on the ball.
That is a trait that the Steelers value highly, with forcing turnovers being a core tenet of their defensive philosophy. Even with all of their struggles, they have forced 16 turnovers so far in 2025, including two games with five or more.
If Samuel Jr. can allow them to play stickier coverage, it will have a cascading effect on the rest of the defense. If opposing quarterbacks have to hold the ball for even just a tick longer than they have so far this year, that could give guys like T.J. Watt, Nick Herbig, and Alex Highsmith the time needed to converge on them and end drives.
It may be a bit before we see him join the active roster, but I have no doubt that he will eventually be the other boundary corner opposite of Porter Jr., sooner rather than later.