Going into the 2025 season, the Pittsburgh Steelers expected to have a top trio of cornerbacks in Jalen Ramsey, Joey Porter Jr., and Darius Slay. Porter delivered on that. The Steelers released Slay midway through the season. Ramsey spent more time at safety than he did at corner.
That meant some unexpected players saw plenty of action cornerback in 2025 in James Pierre and Asante Samuel Jr. Pierre played in 14 games with five starts, while Samuel played in six games with three starts. Both players are also impending free agents. How does general manager Omar Khan feel about these players?
“Both players, we would like to have both of them back. We’ll see how it shakes out,” Khan said Tuesday during his NFL Scouting Combine press conference in Indianapolis, per video provided by the team’s YouTube channel.
It’s easy to understand why Khan and the Steelers want them back. James Pierre had a really good season in coverage. Pro Football Focus gave him an 88.6 coverage grade, which would have made him the top cover corner had he registered enough snaps. PFF called him the Steelers’ “most underrated impact player” for 2025. Despite entering the season as a depth option and special teamer, he carved out a significant role in a Steelers secondary that needed talent.
Plus, who wouldn’t love to have Pierre back after he picked off his cousin in Baltimore Ravens QB Lamar Jackson?
James Pierre picks off Lamar
PITvsBAL on CBS/Paramount+https://t.co/HkKw7uXVnt pic.twitter.com/3qAvdHjLFF
— NFL (@NFL) December 7, 2025
Such a smooth interception.
Asante Samuel Jr. is also quite interesting. He’s young, not turning 27 until October. He also has extensive NFL starting experience. He started 47 games during his four years with the Los Angeles Chargers. However, he suffered a neck injury in Week 4 of 2024 that sidelined him until Week 13 of 2025.
In Week 15, Samuel made his first start with the Steelers against the Miami Dolphins. He finished the game with two tackles, one pass defensed, and one interception.
TUA PICKED!
Asante Samuel Jr. wins the jump ball over Jaylen Waddle ‼️
(via @steelers)pic.twitter.com/MSLjhQkqhc
— SportsCenter (@SportsCenter) December 16, 2025
While Samuel may not have had the same season Pierre had, he’s a young corner with starting experience. It makes sense that the Steelers would want both James Pierre and Asante Samuel Jr. back. The question is whether the different sides can agree on numbers with the start of free agency less than a month away.
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