Steelers Now
Sebastian Castro owned No. 22 for the blink of an eye. The Pittsburgh Steelers’ rookie safety, recently re-acquired after he was released by the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, handed the jersey over to cornerback Asante Samuel Jr. on Wednesday.
Samuel’s father, Asante Samuel, wore No. 22 for the entirety of his 11-year NFL career, which spanned stops with the New England Patriots, Philadelphia Eagles and Atlanta Falcons.
Castro, who wore No. 29 during his first stay in black and gold, will switch to No. 49.
Juan Thornhill wore No. 22 until being cut loose on Monday.
“The play wasn’t up to snuff,” Steelers head coach Mike Tomlin said of Thornhill on Tuesday. “Castro was available to us. We went through the team development process with Castro. We thought he had a good camp, good preseason. He played his tail off in that practice against the Bucs. I think that’s why they stole him from us. We had an opportunity to reacquire him. We’ve absorbed some attrition since he left, so it was an opportunity to get him back. It’s more about Castro and less about Juan.”
Before Thornhill, No. 22 belonged to tailbacks Najee Harris (2021-24) and Stevan Ridley (2018) and cornerback Steven Nelson (2019-20). Cornerback William Gay wore the number longer than anyone in Steelers history, sporting it from 2007-11 and 2013-17. Gay reeled in 11 interceptions during his time with the franchise.
Other notable Steelers players to wear No. 22 include quarterback Bobby Layne (1958-62) and running back Duce Staley (2004-06). Layne spent the final four-plus seasons of his Pro Football Hall of Fame career after making a name for himself with the Detroit Lions. Staley helped Bill Cowher’s team to a win in Super Bowl XL.
Cornerback Dwayne Woodruff rocked No. 49 from 1979-90, but other than him, nobody’s really stood out in that digit. Castro will aim to make it a staple now that he’s back in the Steelers’ locker room.
This article originally appeared on Steelers Now: Steelers Reveal Asante Samuel Jr.’s Jersey Number
