It should come as no surprise that Green Bay wasn’t active at the trade deadline. With that milestone come and gone, there is still one move general manager Brian Gutekunst can make that would provide a bit more confidence to one particular position group — signing cornerback Asante Samuel Jr.
Samuel underwent spinal fusion surgery in April and thus remained unsigned through the offseason. Had he been healthy and good to go, he would’ve been a coveted name on the market. Instead, teams were waiting for the all-clear.
Samuel received the thumbs-up to resume football activities, as reported on Monday. He’d certainly be a sight for sore eyes in Green Bay.
Nate Hobbs is set to miss at least the next two games with a sprained MCL. It’s the other knee, not the same one that Hobbs injured in training camp and had a procedure on.
Keisean Nixon hasn’t quite flourished as many had hoped as the No. 1 cornerback on the depth chart. There have been instances, including one thanks to Joe Flacco and the Cincinnati Bengals, where he picked on Nixon throughout a game.
Carrington Valentine has been solid, which is why it was bizarre to see him essentially benched against the Arizona Cardinals in Week 7, only to see him get most of the snaps the following week at one of the outside corner spots against the Pittsburgh Steelers.
Hobbs’ absence, coupled with ineffective play and a lack of depth at cornerback, opens the door for Green Bay to seriously consider pursuing Samuel.
There’s no hiding the lack of experience behind Nixon and Valentine. With Hobbs now on the shelf, Green Bay will have four active cornerbacks on the roster. Bo Melton and Kamal Hadden are the other two. Neither has ever taken a regular-season snap at cornerback in the NFL. (No, that’s not a misprint.)
Samuel appeared in 50 games with 47 starts across four years with the Los Angeles Chargers. While he has a smaller frame, his coverage skills are nothing to scoff at. He isn’t the best run defender, but Green Bay isn’t in a position to be too picky. The Packers also aren’t a team going through the motions, counting down the days to the offseason. The Micah Parsons trade ramped up the urgency, and there is a weakness at cornerback that’s unlikely to be mitigated by just rolling with the punches the rest of the way and hoping for improvement.
The trade deadline was a chance to strike a deal, but the Packers were already parting with their next two first-round picks. It seemed unlikely they’d part with more draft capital in a deal.
Samuel presents an opportunity to get a player with plenty of experience who won’t break the bank and won’t cost any picks. From Samuel’s perspective, he can join a contender and potentially have a serious role down the stretch and into the postseason. What more could he ask for in a prove-it spot to audition for 31 other teams for next offseason?
Green Bay can take a shot at relatively low cost in a low-risk, high-reward move that benefits both parties. The choice seems rather obvious. The real risk would be banking on the current group to stay healthy while also elevating their collective game to another level.
Green Bay has the cap space necessary to ink Samuel to a deal through the rest of the year. Keep in mind, this is a player who will be joining a team midseason, coming off spinal fusion surgery. The cost won’t be a four-year deal like the Packers gave Hobbs in the offseason. It will likely be a contract that gets Samuel to the end of this season, where he will enter free agency again. So, why not join a contender who could really use his services?
It seems like an obvious choice. We’ll see if Gutekunst gets it done.