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DETROIT, MICHIGAN – DECEMBER 04: Daron Bland #26 of the Dallas Cowboys plays against the Detroit Lions at Ford Field on December 04, 2025 in Detroit, Michigan. (Photo by Gregory Shamus/Getty Images)
The Dallas Cowboys made a predictable move late on in the 2025 regular season when they released cornerback Trevon Diggs, ending his near 6-season tenure with the organization.
However, the team needed to move on from the expensive veteran corner, for whom injuries had rendered an expensive yet underperforming liability on the boundary. And with multiple first round draft picks in April’s draft, the secondary could very well be an area to target for Jerry Jones and co.
Even with the likes of 2025 third round pick Shavon Revel, and 2024 fifth rounder Caelen Carson, potentially stepping up into a starting role on the exterior of the second-level defense, the draft will likely be an area to help bolster the secondary this offseason.
But, according to Fox Sports’ Greg Auman, the Cowboys could go in another direction and instead bring in a talented veteran cornerback in the form of Asante Samuel Jr. This would reunite him with his former defensive backs coach with the Los Angeles Chargers – the team Samuel spent his first four seasons in the league with – Derrick Ansley, who now functions in the same role in Dallas.
Asante Samuel Jr. Predicted to Land in Dallas
“Samuel, 26, is a tempting reclamation project, limited to 10 games over the last two seasons due to a shoulder injury, but a late-season cameo with the Steelers showed promise.” Auman wrote.
“Samuel once had three interceptions in one playoff game against the Jaguars, and his first three years in the league netted six interceptions and consistent play. Could he land with the Cowboys and his old Chargers position coach, Derrick Ansley?”
The child of the two-time Super Bowl champion and All-Pro cornerback, Asante Samuel Sr., the former Charger’s career has been derailed by a major neck injury suffered back in October 2024.
https://heavy.com/sports/nfl/los-angeles-chargers/This single injury kept him out for over a year before coming back towards the end of last year and playing for the Pittsburgh Steelers for the last few games of the season. Samuel did reasonably well and started three games garnering a 67.2 grade from Pro Football Focus.
Do the Cowboys Make Sense as a Landing Spot For Samuel?
Teams will likely proceed with caution when it comes to taking flyers on the Florida State alum, who had remained relatively injury-free before his major upper body affliction. Although he did manage to get some good work on tape in 2025, it likely won’t be enough for a team to go all out and sign him to a lucrative, multi-year extension without a ‘prove-it’ buffer year in 2026.
As landing spots go, Dallas makes about as much sense as any. The defense needs major upgrades but the team as a whole was not by any means atrocious in 2025. Samuel would have a clear potential route to a starting role on the defense, although he’d likely have to scrap it out with Revel for the starting CB2 job opposite DaRon Bland.
The biggest obstacle to signing would almost certainly be the salary implications, with the Cowboys currently projected to be $30 million over the cap. But, with cuts and restructures coming imminently for Dallas as they look to make moves this offseason – see George Pickens – if the team can sign Samuel to a one-year, semi-inexpensive deal, it could end up looking very shrewd in 12 months time.
Daniel Arwas Daniel Arwas is a sports writer who covers the NFL for Heavy.com. Daniel began his career in sports writing in 2022 and has covered the NFL and college football for Gridiron Heroics and The Hammer. More about Daniel Arwas
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