"After undergoing spinal fusion surgery in April 2025, Samuel, 26, was cleared to play in early November. He initially signed to the Pittsburgh Steelers' practice squad on Nov. 11 and saw his first game action in nearly a year just three weeks later against the Buffalo Bills where he recorded three tackles."
"Samuel recorded 10 tackles and had an interception in the Steelers' Week 15 Monday Night Football win against the Miami Dolphins. He was eventually elevated to the active roster and wound up starting three games -- and played nearly every defensive snap in that stretch -- as the Steelers' secondary dealt with a rash of injuries."
"Selected by the Los Angeles Chargers in the second round of the 2021 NFL draft, Samuel was a four-year starter for the Chargers until he was sidelined with injury and elected to have spinal fusion surgery to help correct issues in his shoulders and neck that he said has plagued him since birth."
Cornerback Asante Samuel Jr. agreed to a one-year, $4 million contract with the Pittsburgh Steelers following his recovery from spinal fusion surgery performed in April 2025. Cleared to play in early November, Samuel joined the practice squad and made his return to game action against Buffalo three weeks later. He recorded three tackles in that contest and was subsequently elevated to the active roster. Starting three games while the secondary faced multiple injuries, Samuel played nearly every defensive snap during his appearances. He recorded 10 tackles and an interception in Week 15 against Miami. Over his five-year career, Samuel has 50 starts, seven interceptions, one fumble recovery, and 186 tackles.
Read at ESPN.com
Unable to calculate read time
Collection
[
|
...
]