Though it was an exciting midseason addition, the Pittsburgh Steelers aren’t in a hurry to get new CB Asante Samuel Jr. on the field. Signed to the practice squad earlier this week and out of football since last September, the Steelers will take their time getting him up to speed.
“He’s certainly not gonna play today, might not even play next week,” the PPG’s Gerry Dulac said on the KDKA pregame kickoff show Sunday. “They wanna make sure that he gets back up to speed. This guy hasn’t played since Week 4 of last year.”
It’s a similar tone as defensive coordinator Teryl Austin noted earlier in the week. Samuel was not elevated for today’s game and will not play.
Samuel admitted he’s battled and played through injuries during his career. He underwent spinal fusion surgery in the offseason, requiring a lengthy recovery and rehab time. Officially cleared for football activities last month, Samuel visited several teams before signing to Pittsburgh’s practice squad.
The Steelers may need to give him a training camp of sorts. Not just to understand the defense but improve his football conditioning. While SS Kyle Dugger caught the moving train days after being traded over from New England, he had the benefit of the entire offseason, training camp, preseason, and regular season to be in shape to absorb a high volume of snaps. Samuel isn’t in the same position.
“They really liked [his recovery],” Dulac said. That’s why they signed him, but it’s still gonna be a while. They just want to make sure he’s back up to practice speed and then full game speed before they use him.”
If so, Samuel may not make an impact until the true stretch run of the season. Still, he could be an asset for Pittsburgh’s playoff push against a tough end-of-year schedule. The Buffalo Bills in Week 13, Baltimore Ravens in Week 14, Detroit Lions in Week 16, and Ravens again in the regular season finale are all potent offenses where the Steelers will need all the help they can get.
How Samuel fits into the defense is unknown. Teryl Austin confirmed Samuel had only been practicing as an outside corner. Perhaps Samuel could eat into Darius Slay’s playing time once Slay returns from his concussion, inactive for today’s game. It’s good to have options but the Steelers are also showing patience in the hopes it’ll pay off in December and January.
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