The Pittsburgh Steelers pushed all of their chips in on 2025, but the team only has a 5-4 record to show for it.
The Steelers are 1-3 in their last four games, snagging a win against a formidable Indianapolis Colts team but faltering to the Cincinnati Bengals, Green Bay Packers and Los Angeles Chargers.
A soon-to-be-42-year-old Aaron Rodgers hasn’t exactly given the Steelers elite play at the quarterback position, and the team’s vaunted defense hasn’t played up to its lofty standard during that four-game stretch.
However, this is the Steelers we’re talking about, and they always find a way to a winning record and a playoff berth. It’s just predestined with Mike Tomlin as their coach. They’ll win nine or 10 games, come hell or high water.
Enter free-agent cornerback Asante Samuel Jr. to help that streak continue. He’s signing with the Steelers’ practice squad according to NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport.
Asante Samuel Jr took his time and plenty of visits before making his decision. The #Steelers had been looking for some backend help.
A potential high-reward signing. https://t.co/PORxkVEZ2H
— Ian Rapoport (@RapSheet) November 11, 2025
Samuel spent most of the season healing up from a spinal fusion procedure, but him signing with Pittsburgh’s practice squad is yet another needed jolt to a patchwork secondary full of newcomers.
Just in the past year, the Steelers have added cornerback-turned-safety Jalen Ramsey, cornerback Darius Slay, safety Kyle Dugger, safety Jabrill Peppers, cornerback Brandin Echols and safety Chuck Clark to the secondary to play alongside emerging star cornerback Joey Porter Jr. Somehow, signing Samuel this week still feels important.
Samuel could come in and immediately start alongside Porter, giving an aging Slay more of a rotational presence in the secondary. The two sons of NFL defensive legends could give the Steelers a promising bookend at cornerback for the years to come, assuming Samuel plays well and wants to return to Pittsburgh in 2026 and beyond.
Signing Samuel won’t fix an inconsistent Steelers offense, but it could help give Pittsburgh’s defense more of a jolt against the pass. With Samuel on the field, the Steelers will be a bit harder to throw on. That helps the whole unit.
Sure, you can’t say that signing even a rare impact November free agent like Samuel will launch Pittsburgh into Super Bowl contention. The issues are too vast for one player to fix. However, when it comes to preserving that winning season/playoff streak, adding a guy like Samuel will work wonders. He should help with consistency.
He’ll help the Steelers be more of who they are deep down as opposed to a surprise team that misses both marks.
This article originally appeared on For The Win: Asante Samuel Jr. can help the Steelers be more like the Steelers
