Packers Miss Out on Playmaking Free-Agent Cornerback

GREEN BAY, Wis. – Cornerback Asante Samuel Jr., the playmaking free agent who visited the Green Bay Packers on Thursday, chose to sign to the Pittsburgh Steelers’ practice squad.

Samuel was a second-round pick in 2021 by the Chargers. He had two interceptions and 11 passes defensed as a rookie, two interceptions and 11 passes defensed in 2022 and two interceptions and 13 passes defensed in 2023. He played in only four games in 2024, missing most of the season due to what he described as “stinger symptoms” in both shoulders.

Those problems were solved via spinal-fusion surgery, which was done by Dr. David Okonkwo, a neurosurgeon for the Steelers.

A high-ranking personnel executive said his team was not interested in Samuel.

Why?

“Size, man coverage, tackling and medical,” he said. “He did not play well before he got hurt but he’s talented.”

Samuel visited six teams, including the Steelers, who boast Joey Porter Jr. and Darius Slay as their starting cornerbacks.

Samuel will work on the practice squad, treating the next few weeks like training camp, before presumably joining Pittsburgh’s 53-man roster for the stretch run.

The Packers mostly have been fine at cornerback with Keisean Nixon and Carrington Valentine on the perimeter and Javon Bullard in the slot. Nixon is second in the NFL in passes defensed and Valentine allowed only one catch against the Eagles on Monday.

“I think those guys, I was really proud of how they’ve been competing and challenging,” coach Matt LaFleur said on Saturday when asked about them in the context of Samuel’s visit.

“The one thing that, regardless of position but let’s just say the corner position in particular, there are going to be times where guys are going to make plays on you. But I just don’t want to have the gimme players, where we’re playing off, we’re playing soft. I think our guys have been challenging. Sometimes they’re going to catch a ball on you, and it’s just how resilient are you? I think that is a position where you’ve got to have the memory of a goldfish.”

Samuel, according to Pro Football Focus, has given up a catch rate of 63.7 percent for his career. When he played a full season in 2023, PFF charged him with 64.7 percent, 13.4 yards per catch and four touchdowns, good for a passer rating of 98.0.

This season, PFF has charged Nixon with a 55.1 percent catch rate, 10.7 yards per catch, three touchdowns and a passer rating of 93.0. He’s been guilty of nine penalties, tied for the most among corners.

Valentine, who replaced Nate Hobbs the last few games, has allowed a 53.1 percent catch rate, 10.8 yards per catch, three touchdowns and a passer rating of 101.6.

Samuel is a terrible tackler, and it’ll be interesting to see how a player coming off spinal surgery will fare in that regard. Will he be better because the “stinger symptoms” are behind him or will he be apprehensive? His career missed-tackle rate is 16.5 percent.

Nixon’s missed-tackle rate is only 4.0 percent this year. Valentine is not a good tackler, either, though his career missed-tackle rate of 13.8 percent is better than that of Samuel.

The Packers lost 10-7 to the Eagles on Monday night, but the cornerback play was superb. Eagles quarterback Jalen Hurts was 15-of-26 passing for 183 yards. In the two games before the bye, Hurts threw seven touchdown passes with only nine incompletions.

The lone touchdown drive included a 41-yard pass to running back Saquon Barkley, who used a spin move to beat Valentine and get in the open field, and a 36-yard touchdown pass to DeVonta Smith over safety Evan Williams.

Second-team All-Pro receiver A.J. Brown was held to two catches for 13 yards.

“Tonight, we played ball,” Nixon said. “Primetime, we held a team to 10 points. You can’t really ask too much more of the defense. As a defense, I feel like we’re playing ball right now, back end playing really well. It’s a complementary game, though.”

The Packers have lost two consecutive games, though that probably didn’t factor in Samuel’s decision. The Steelers have lost three of their last four, including at home against Green Bay.

Green Bay has lost three games and allowed 13, 16 and 10 points in those contests.

“We lost to them by three points,” Nixon said. “It ain’t like we ever came into a game and got blown out or no sh** like that. We be in every game; dogfights. It come down to the last drive. But that’s the NFL. Especially when you’re a good team, everybody got good players; everybody make a lot of money. That’s just how this game goes.

“Our good players got to make more plays than their good players to win the game. As simple as that.”

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