The Pittsburgh Steelers have clearly been in “win now” mode throughout the 2025 offseason and into the regular season itself. That has been seen by several roster moves. General Manager Omar Khan was not done as he called around the league at the trade deadline looking for some more weapons for the offense, but no deals transpired. The GM did however go out and sign free agent cornerback Asante Samuel Jr., who had a pretty decent career going until he suffered an injury.
Robert Gauthier / Los Angeles Times
Steelers’ Asante Samuel Jr. during his time with the Los Angeles Chargers.
Samuel was drafted by the Los Angeles Chargers in the second round of the 2021 NFL Draft, and he was a pretty solid cornerback. He went on Injured Reserve early on in the 2024 season, and he never played for the Chargers again as he was a free agent after the season closed. He had to go undergo a pretty significant back surgery.
He was recently cleared, and he is now signing in Pittsburgh which was reported by Jeremy Fowler.
Free-agent cornerback Asante Samuel Jr. is signing with the Steelers practice squad, per source.
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. pic.twitter.com/pK5QfhfEy0
— Jeremy Fowler (@JFowlerESPN) November 11, 2025
Samuel was taking visits around the league over the last week after he was cleared medically, and the Steelers were towards the end of the list of his visits. It was hard to believe he would make it to Pittsburgh without a contract, but that is what happened and now he will be with the Steelers. He is starting on the practice squad, but he should be elevated sooner rather than later.
Los Angeles Chargers
Steelers’ Asante Samuel Jr. during a home game while with the Los Angeles Chargers
Throughout his career, in which he has only really played three almost-full seasons, Samuel has recorded six interceptions and 176 tackles. He also has positional versatility as he has experience playing on the outside and in the slot, which is important to this current roster for Pittsburgh. He probably won’t be elevated to the active roster in Week 11 as he would be jumping on a moving train while preparing to face a daunting matchup for the secondary as the Cincinnati Bengals are coming to town.
The cornerback is also NFL legacy, as his father was an All-Pro and Super Bowl champion. Pittsburgh typically likes that as an organization, and that shows again with this signing.
Samuel’s most memorable moment came during the playoffs at the end of the 2022 season. He recorded three interceptions in what wound up being a loss for the Chargers, but he was still a lockdown cornerback even under the pressure of the postseason. Hopefully he can return to that form in Pittsburgh, as the Steelers need some more reliable play from the cornerback position.
Nathan Ray Seebeck / Imagn Images
Steelers’ Asante Samuel Jr. celebrates with Derwin James after a big play during the 2022 playoffs as a member of the Los Angeles Chargers.
What do you think of the signing for the Steelers? Let us know in the comments below!