Niners Nation
You can never have enough options at cornerback. According to NFL Network’s Ian Rapport, cornerback Asante Samuel Jr. was fully cleared this week to return to the NFL after having a spinal fusion procedure this offseason.
Samuel Jr. will visit the Carolina Panthers on Wednesday, the Green Bay Packers on Thursday, the Minnesota Vikings on Friday, the San Francisco 49ers on Monday, the Chicago Bears on Tuesday, and the Pittsburgh Steelers next Wednesday. So, it’ll be a busy week of working out for Samuel Jr.
Samuel Jr. last played in September 2024, where he was on the field for the first four games of the season. The former second-round pick just turned 26, so he should have plenty of quality football left.
Statistically, 2022 was his best season, where he only allowed a 42 percent completion percentage on 78 targets. But it’s not like he struggled in any of the other three years. Samuel Jr. has consistently made plays on the ball, which is likely why he’s generated so much interest.
Teams will want to see how healthy he looks, but wouldn’t the concern be how he holds up as a tackler or when it comes to his physicality, based on the injury? You won’t know that until there are game-like conditions.
Samuel is an outside cornerback. Just like we discussed with Cam Taylor-Britt, you’d have to do some reshuffling to get him on the field. Like Deommodore Lenoir going back to nickel and Upton Stout moving to safety. That is, unless Robert Saleh wants to take a linebacker off the field, go big nickel by putting Ji’Ayir Brown or Malik Mustapha in the box, and play an extra cornerback on the field. There are ways for Saleh to get creative and get a talent like Samuel on the field.
Samuel was a collegiate teammate of Renardo Green, who is one year younger than him.
