The Pittsburgh Steelers signed CB Asante Samuel Jr. to their practice squad, and Samuel, who was originally reported to work out for the team on Wednesday, was apart of the team’s workouts on Tuesday. Along with Samuel, the Steelers worked out CB C.J. Henderson, who spent most of the 2024 season with Pittsburgh, per the NFL transaction wire.
Henderson is a former first-round pick. Henderson signed with the Atlanta Falcons in August and was with Atlanta’s practice squad until the end of September before being waived. While Henderson was elevated to the Steelers’ active roster in October of last year, he never played in a game with the team, and he was placed on injured reserve in November and remained there until the end of the season. He hasn’t appeared in a game since 2023 with the Carolina Panthers.
Despite being the ninth overall pick in the 2020 NFL Draft out of Florida, Henderson has struggled to remain in the league. The Steelers got another look at him today, and he could remain an option for the team for cornerback depth, but they opted to sign Samuel, who’s more of a proven veteran.
In his career, Henderson has 172 tackles, three interceptions and 16 passes defensed. Tuesday was the second time the Steelers worked out Henderson since he left the team, following an August workout. Along with the Steelers, Falcons and Panthers, Henderson has also spent time with the Jacksonville Jaguars, the team that drafted him, along with the Houston Texans.
Samuel played in just four games last season and he underwent spinal fusion surgery in the offseason. He’s remained unsigned but was cleared to play last week and took visits with multiple teams, but he’ll now join a Steelers team that’s lacking cornerback depth. Samuel will start on the practice squad, but there’s a chance he gets a look as soon as Sunday, though that may be too quick of a timeline for someone who hasn’t suited up for over a year.
Steelers team neurosurgeon David Okonkwo performed Samuel’s spinal fusion surgery and went over his recent medical records. While he has slot capability, he’s almost exclusively played outside cornerback in his career.
He was originally the 47th overall pick in the 2021 NFL Draft out of Florida State and has 176 tackles, six interceptions and 37 passes defensed in 50 games, all with the Los Angeles Chargers.
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