Steelers kill two birds with one stone after beating out multiple playoff contenders for highly regarded free agent
Help where Pittsburgh needs it most on defense.
Far too often for the liking of the Pittsburgh Steelers have they seen a player in their secondary go down with injury. DeShon Elliott is missing an extended period of time with injury, Joey Porter Jr., missed multiple games, and following Sunday’s loss, Darius Slay is in concussion protocol.
It’s part of the reason why the Steelers traded for Kyle Dugger and then moved Jalen Ramsey to his role as a full-time safety.
But following a free agent tour that included multiple contenders, the Pittsburgh Steelers have won the sweepstakes for an instant impact starter.
Asante Samuel Jr. is signing with Steelers’ practice squad
“Free-agent cornerback Asante Samuel Jr. is signing with the Steelers practice squad, per source,” wrote ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler on X-Twitter on Tuesday. “A top-25 free agent in March, Samuel recovered from spinal-fusion surgery in time to sign for the season’s second half. Now, he gets a new start with Pittsburgh.”
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 now obvious the Steelers wanted his services. And they should be. Pittsburgh may have found something with its split-safety coverage the last two weeks — with Jalen Ramsey playing free safety exclusively, and newly acquired Kyle Dugger 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 move kills two birds with one stone. The Steelers add a healthy corner amid the Darius Slay injury, and they insert a ball hawk into a scheme that seemingly lives and dies off turnovers. With Samuel Jr. only being signed to the practice squad, we’ll see if Pittsburgh throws him to the wolves against Cincy or gives him a week to find his role in the black and gold.
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