Latest NFL development sparks major competition among Packers, Vikings, Steelers, and others for key defensive player
Asante Samuel Jr. is back from a neck injury and will visit multiple teams over the next few days.
Asante Samuel Jr. was one of the top cornerbacks in free agency in March, but a neck injury held him back. After undergoing a spinal fusion surgery in April, Samuel now has been cleared for football activities and plans to make free agency visits.
On Wednesday, he put the plan in motion by visiting the Carolina Panthers. Over the next few days, the list of visits will include the Green Bay Packers, Minnesota Vikings, San Francisco 49ers, Chicago Bears, and Pittsburgh Steelers, according to ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler.
Because of that sequence, we invited our beat writers to evaluate the needs in each case, and how much Samuel would fit and help them throughout the rest of this season — and potentially beyond.
Minnesota Vikings
It’s no secret that the Minnesota Vikings have a need at cornerback. Byron Murphy Jr. is a solid cornerback, and Isaiah Rodgers has peaked higher than any cornerback in the NFL, but they have no depth behind both guys. Jeff Okudah was a really smart play for the price of $2.3 million, but he’s gotten torched and is now dealing with his second concussion.
The Vikings have been linked to Samuel for a few months, but he needed time to heal. Adding a player like Samuel, who can play inside and outside, is important for how Brian Flores likes to call defense. The one element of hesitation is that Samuel is not a good tackler, which is crucial in the aggressive defense the Vikings run. Even with the issues that Samuel has in that area, it would still be an upgrade at the cornerback spot, and it’s important for the Vikings to fix it. — Tyler Forness, A to Z Sports Minnesota.
Pittsburgh Steelers
The Steelers were first interested in acquiring Samuel Jr. last offseason, but the lingering injury concerns scared them off. Evidenced by his visit schedule, Samuel seems to be healthy, and it’s obvious the Steelers are still interested. And they should be. Pittsburgh may have found something with its split-safety coverage last week — Jalen Ramsey played free safety exclusively, and newly acquired Kyle Dugger was opposite him.
But games where you turn an offense over five times aren’t exactly a dime a dozen. Pittsburgh needs fresh legs in the back end to continue throwing multiple looks at offenses. They also need players who have a history of intercepting the football. Samuel had two interceptions in each of his first three seasons. So the Steelers can go from reeling on defense to proving that the Colts game wasn’t an outlier with the Samuel addition. — Rob Gregson, A to Z Sports Pittsburgh.
Green Bay Packers
The Packers have had a huge need at cornerback since the offseason. They lost Jaire Alexander, Eric Stokes, Corey Ballentine, and Robert Rochell, only adding Nate Hobbs (who hasn’t played well and will miss the next few weeks with a new knee injury) and Micah Robinson (a seventh-round pick who’s not on the roster anymore).
The only cornerbacks on the roster with real experience are Keisean Nixon and Carrington Valentine, while safety Javon Bullard has started in the slot. The primary backups are converted wide receiver Bo Melton and undrafted second-year player Kamal Hadden.
The Packers haven’t drafted a cornerback before the seventh round since 2021, when they took Stokes in the first round. All that means Samuel Jr. could be a helpful piece down the stretch this season, yes, but from a player’s perspective, he also has an open way to find a long-term home and sign a longer extension after the season.
Green Bay had similar stories in the recent past, signing Bashaud Breeland after an injury nixed his deal with the Carolina Panthers in 2018, and when the Packers signed Rasul Douglas off the Arizona Cardinals’ practice squad and kept him with a mid-term extension. The need is clear, and the path for both sides is there to make it happen — Wendell Ferreira, A to Z Sports Green Bay.
Chicago Bears
Seeing the Bears show interest in Samuel Jr. isn’t a surprise. In fact, it’s something I advocated for as soon as the trade deadline expired and the Bears didn’t trade for a cornerback. The need is obvious when looking at the play from the outside cornerback position in Chicago since the team lost a Pro Bowl-caliber player in Jaylon Johnson.
Tyrique Stevenson impressed more than many expected, taking over the CB1 role, and Nahshon Wright has made some flashy plays back in a starting role. At the same time, both players allow far too many big plays down the field. Some of that is mainly due to a man-heavy coverage scheme paired with an inconsistent pass rush, which can be a recipe for disaster for any outside cornerback.
To play a little devil’s advocate, the Bears will need to see a player ready to step in and play when it comes to this visit. If it’s going to take a few weeks for Samuel to get back into game shape, Chicago might pass on the opportunity, considering the team hopes to have Kyler Gordon back within the next two to three weeks and hopes Johnson can make a late-season return as well.
At the same time, looking at the current depth in the room, it never hurts to do a little due diligence, so it’s at least nice to see Chicago be in the mix here. — Kole Noble, A to Z Sports Chicago.
San Francisco 49ers
San Francisco’s injury luck around its defense has been a tough pill to swallow this season. With Samuel, he would provide a notable post-trade deadline boost that usually isn’t available in free agency at this point of the season.
The cornerback position is one where the 49ers have gotten better play than expected at times, but the overall depth is absolutely lacking. Throwing the veteran CB into the mix since he’s completely healthy could help the unit in a noticeable way. It would probably take Samuel a little bit of time to get back up to NFL speed, but the price doesn’t seem like it’ll be too hefty to take a swing on him for SF. — Adam Holt, A to Z Sports NFL.
Carolina Panthers
The Panthers are a team that should be pulling out all the stops for Samuel. Carolina has equalled its 2024 win total at the halfway point of this season, and Ejiro Evero’s defense has been better after a major investment in free agency this offseason. But there’s room to be much better still, and Samuel Jr. would bring some much-needed ball skills opposite Jaycee Horn.
Horn has logged three of the team’s seven interceptions through the first nine games, and if Carolina is going to successfully upset its way into the postseason, it’ll need more splash turnovers. A healthy Samuel could play opposite Horn in base and then be joined by Michael Jackson as the three cornerbacks on the field in nickel. Jackson is a long, physical boundary type, but either Horn or Samuel could play inside and allow Evero to play matchups week to week. — Kyle Crabbs, A to Z Sports NFL.
Verdict of where Asante Samuel Jr. should go
The best spot for Samuel comes down to two teams: The 49ers and the Packers. If winning right away is a big factor, the edge would go to Green Bay. That shouldn’t be the biggest priority for a player like him, though. The former second-round pick will look for the chance to get as many reps as possible, and staying on the West Coast in San Francisco would be very appealing.
So I’ll predict he chooses the 49ers for his second-chance spot in the NFL, and hopefully, he fits into Robert Saleh’s defense early and makes an immediate impact. — Destin Adams, A to Z Sports NFL.
This article was originally published on A to Z Sports as “Latest NFL development sparks major competition among Packers, Vikings, Steelers, and others for key defensive player.”
Green Bay Packers News
Packers are in the mix to add an impactful piece, but there’s going to be plenty of competition for his services
Asante Samuel Jr. is a free agent after playing his first four seasons for the Los Angeles Chargers.
