The Pittsburgh Steelers needed solid depth at cornerback. For a while, that came in the form of Darius Slay . But in their Week 13 loss to the Buffalo Bills , head coach Mike Tomlin made his move with Asante Samuel Jr. The Steelers bumped the corner from the practice squad to the active roster, and now that change has become permanent. They’ve signed him to the 53-man roster officially, a clear sign they see him as part of the stretch-run plan.

Samuel Jr. wasn’t some random depth corner. Pittsburgh had brought him in as a free agent signing in mid-November to let him finish his recovery and get back in football shape. Samuel Jr. had notably undergone a spinal fusion surgery in the offseason under Steelers’ neurosurgeon David Okonkwo, further boosting the Steelers’

See Full Page