By Ross Jackson
It felt like it was only a matter of time before these two were linked.
Per ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler, the New Orleans Saints hosted cornerback Asante Samuel Jr. for a visit.
Samuel was a part of the inaugural draft class of now-Saints defensive coordinator Brandon Staley when he was the head coach of the Los Angeles Rams.
The fifth-year former battled a series of stingers last season, limiting his year to just four games played after appearing in all 17 games in each of the two previous seasons. He was without a doubt the Chargers’ No. 1 cornerback until the injury sidelined him.
Per Fowler, Samuel had neck surgery in April to help alleviate those complications. With a planned check-up in “early July,” the 25-year-old cornerback could be looking for a new landing spot if cleared by doctors.
Tipped and PICKED!
That’s Asante Samuel Jr.’s 2nd interception on the year. @godschild3_ #BoltUp
📺: #LACvsKC on CBS
📱: NFL app pic.twitter.com/yraioENrkv— NFL (@NFL) September 26, 2021
The Saints could be a tempting spot for him to sign. It would reunite him with Staley and firmly implant him into a competition for one of the top cornerback roles on defense along with rookie Quincy Riley and veteran Isaac Yiadom.
Samuel’s deal could be an affordable one, signing off of surgery and could be incentive-heavy as well, allowing the team to safeguard itself a bit against the occurrence of reinjury.
This would be a solid move for the Saints, even just in the short-term as a measure of maintaining competition and building out a strong secondary.
