The Pittsburgh Steelers have signed cornerback Asante Samuel Jr. to the active roster after his debut with the team on Sunday. It follows the release of cornerback Darius Slay, who will look to find a new home.
Samuel would be in line to start on Sunday if James Pierre can not clear concussion protocol. He will be the team’s top reserve backup cornerback with Slay gone from the picture.
“Really it was less about Slay and more about getting a chance to see Asante Samuel,” head coach Mike Tomlin said on Tuesday. “He’s a global NFL starter type that’s been on our practice squad…. it was about getting a look at a guy who has started a lot of guys in this league. And we did, and we liked some of things we saw.”
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, with the Steelers being the last team. The Steelers inked him with a clear path for Samuel’s playing time.
Samuel checked all 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 in October.
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.