Samuel Jr. best destinations
By: Jake Rajala
Asante Samuel Jr. is one of the best free agents available and arguably the top cornerbacks looking for a home. Asante Samuel Jr. is obviously the son of the legend Asante Samuel. Asante Samuel Jr. has recorded 37 pass deflections in 50 games. PFF gave him a grade of 82 for his work on the outside in 2023! Samuel is having neck surgery in July, so he will have a better picture about his long-term fit in the NFL after the surgery. With that said, I’m going to untwine the best landing spots for him.
Philadelphia Eagles
The Eagles lost Darius Slay and James Bradberry in recent memory. Cooper DeJean can’t hold down the fort by himself. Insert Samuel Jr. to the occasion. Bradberry couldn’t quite succeed on the perimeter in big moments. Philly is also Top-15 in cap space and won’t be anywhere near broke if they bring him in. If the Eagles want to return to the big dance, they need to do the little things right.
New Orleans Saints
The Saints traded Marshon Lattimore during last season. To follow it up, the Saints let the other starting CB on the outside (Paulson Adebo) leave in free agency! Plus, the Saints just had a pleasant visit with Samuel Jr. Asonte Taylor could start in the slot, while Kool-Aid McKinstry roams with Samuel outside.
Las Vegas Raiders
Tom Brady and the Las Vegas Raiders need to keep their foot on the pedal. After all, they play in the NFL’s toughest division (AFC West), which is led by Patrick Mahomes. The Raiders will be a slow, gutsy team that leans on running the football with Ashton Jeanty, for the most part. Hence, they can’t allowed opponents to make chunk plays against them.
Atlanta Falcons
There are a couple of reasons that I love Atlanta as a home for Asante Samuel Jr. First off, the Falcons were 24th in passing yards allowed and 23rd in points allowed. They could use more athletes on their back-end on defense. Secondly, his father Asante, played in a Falcons uniform for his last two NFL seasons.
San Francisco 49ers
Nick Bosa and Fred Warner can’t be saviors for the 49ers defense. They need more help on the back-end on defense, so they don’t get in a shoot-out. I don’t completely trust Brock Purdy in a game where it’s very high-scoring. Just as the 49ers inked Richard Sherman before, it’s time for SF to be aggressive and land Asante Samuel Jr.
Honorable Mention:
New York Jets
Just as the Raiders sit in a very explosive division, the New York Jets will play defense against a pair of utterly fast offenses. Josh Allen, who won the NFL MVP, will look to drop a 40 burger against the Jets. The Miami Dolphins still have Tyreek Hill and Jaylen Waddle, so it will be quite daunting trying to stop them. Sauce Gardner and Asante Samuel Jr. may just be one of the best CB tandem on the outside.
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