The Pittsburgh Steelers are set to sign cornerback Asante Samuel Jr. to their practice squad tomorrow during his visit, according to Jeremy Fowler of ESPN. Samuel has taken meetings with multiple teams, but it now seems ;ike the Steelers will ultimately land him.
The move comes on the heels of Brandin Echols’ struggles against Ladd McConkey out of the slot, and Samuel seems poised to take that role with Jalen Ramsey now heading to safety full time.
Samuel had spinal fusion surgery in April, but is now cleared and weighed his options on where to sign for the stretch run this season. He took his first visit with the Carolina Panthers over a week ago, with the Steelers being the last team he will visit.
Samuel will have to check the boxes from a medical perspective after such a severe injury, but his surgery was done by Dr. David Okonkwo, who is the Steelers’ team neurosurgeon.
Initially, the injury was thought to be a shoulder issue, but it was a neck injury that ended up requiring surgery. Okonkwo cleared Samuel to return to football last week, and he has now started to set up visits as a result.
Samuel, 26, is the son of former Super Bowl Champion Asante Samuel Sr., who stood out with the New England Patriots and Philadelphia Eagles during his NFL career.
He was a second-round pick out of Florida State by the Los Angeles Chargers in the 2021 NFL Draft. Samuel has consistently played as a slot cornerback over his career, and that would likely be where he would slot in with the Steelers..
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