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Asante Samuel Jr. will be back on a football field for the first time in 13 months, but fans are not taking his $6.5-billion choice of team very well.On Tuesday, the cornerback and son of the three-time Super Bowl champion of the same name was reported to have signed with the Pittsburgh Steelers' practice squad, marking his return to football activity after spinal fusion surgery:Jeremy Fowler @JFowlerESPNLINKFree-agent cornerback Asante Samuel Jr. is signing with the Steelers practice squad, per source. A top-25 free agent in March, Samuel recovered from spinal-fusion surgery in time to sign for the season’s second half. Now, he gets a new start with Pittsburgh.However, fan ridicule abounded in the aftermath:Team not QB @shmeegles22LINK@JFowlerESPN Dude picked BADLYAP @APTX25LINK@JFowlerESPN He went for the money not the ring.ㅤㅤㅤ外国人 @MitchAndrettiLINKDoing Everything But Getting A WR2 SmhKody @Kody12txLINK@JFowlerESPN @zachkruse2 So playoffs aren’t important to him.CryptoAladdin.eth @PA399_LINK@JFowlerESPN Why would you join this garbage team over the bearsBefore joining the Steelers, Samuel had visited the Green Bay Packers and was set to visit the Chicago Bears. The Miami Dolphins had also inquired about his health during the offseason, even though his father condemned the organization as being run "like a little league team" on his Say What Needs to Be Said podcast:“They’re sensitive, there’s no leadership. Mike McDaniel is a pushover, Chris Grier, the GM, has no backbone…No one can stand up to the players. They are terrified of their own players. They have no control over their own players."In 50 regular-season games played, including 47 starts, Samuel has 176 tackles (148 solo), 37 pass breakups, and six interceptions.What Asante Samuel Jr. is expected to bring to the SteelersIf Asante Samuel Jr. is elevated from the Steelers' practice squad, he will join a secondary room that has seen massive changes as of late.Kyle Dugger joined via trade from the New England Patriots, while Juan Thornhill was ditched in favor of Sebastian Castro after underperforming as a starter. Veteran Jalen Ramsey has been playing safety instead of cornerback for the past two weeks in place of an injured DeShon Elliott, while Darius Slay has gone to IR after being concussed at the Los Angeles Chargers.Those changes have the team rather short on cornerbacks besides Joey Porter Jr., Beanie Bishop, and Brandin Echols. And For the Win's Cory Woodroof likes what signing Samuel means for the short-term future of that unit:"Samuel could come in and immediately start alongside Porter, giving an aging Slay more of a rotational presence. ...Signing (him) could help give Pittsburgh's defense more of a jolt against the pass. With (him) on the field, the Steelers will be a bit harder to throw on."The Steelers host the Cincinnati Bengals this coming Sunday. Kickoff is at 1 pm ET on CBS.
