Veteran CB Asante Samuel Jr. made his first start with the Steelers this past week, but will that be the first of many to come? As of now, we don’t even know if this will be his only start, as he was behind James Pierre. Pierre has missed the first two days of practice this week as he battles a calf injury, though.
Samuel played every snap against the Dolphins. He registered two tackles, but more importantly, he added an interception.
Of course, he intercepted a quarterback whose team subsequently benched him, but nevertheless. The Steelers need players who make plays, and Samuel made one. On Thursday, DC Teryl Austin offered an assessment of the cornerback’s most extensive playing time thus far.
“I thought Asante did well in his first start”, he said, via transcript provided by the Steelers’ media department. “But he’s been a starting corner in this league. I think the big thing is you see him really start to go get his feet underneath him in terms of feeling comfortable playing again. You saw all the body quickness, the movement, the ball skills when he was with the Chargers”.
The Steelers signed Samuel a few weeks ago to their practice squad. A 2021 second-round pick, he suffered a major injury last season and eventually had spinal-fusion surgery. That injury derailed his offseason as he hit free agency, teams questioning his ability to play.
Not his talent, of course, but his body, and it wasn’t an unfair concern. Samuel had visits lined up with numerous teams after he was medically cleared to play, some of which he evidently canceled to sign with the Steelers. Perhaps he felt they offered him the best opportunity to get on the field, which may be the case. By the time he signed, they knew Darius Slay wasn’t the answer. And James Pierre doesn’t have the resume that he does.
In three-plus seasons with the Chargers, Asante Samuel recorded 176 tackles with 6 interceptions and 37 passes defensed. He had already established himself as a full-time starter with playmaking ability. In each of his first three seasons, he intercepted two passes with at least 11 passes defensed.
The Steelers aren’t paying Samuel much this year, but what about next year? The league knows the caliber of player he is, and the dynamic changes completely if he proves he is healthy. With the Steelers, he has the opportunity to do that right now. Picking off a pass on national television certainly won’t hurt his case in free agency.
That is if the Steelers let him reach free agency. Depending on how he performs in the coming weeks, they may look to re-sign Asante Samuel before he gets there. That may only come if they view him as a long-term starter—but it’s quite possible that they will.
