Asante

Samuel Jr.

Samuel went on injured reserve after Week 4 and told reporters he’s been dealing with “stinger symptoms” in both of his shoulders stemming from a collision in practice. He also alluded to the injury being related to, in ESPN writer Kris Rhim’s words, “something he was born with but declined to go into details.” Samuel is an unrestricted free agent this offseason after finishing the year on injured reserve and said he wants to return to the Chargers.

Samuel Jr. initially hurt the shoulder in the Friday practice before Week 1, and eventually could not play through it. Harbaugh deflected questions about it by saying that reporters should talk to Samuel Jr. about it since it is his medical condition. We wouldn’t be surprised if Samuel Jr. sits out the rest of the season. He is in the final year of his rookie deal and posted a ho-hum 58.6 PFF coverage grade in four starts.

Samuel has played all but four defensive snaps for the Chargers this season, making his absence for the next four games notable. Expect 2024 fifth-round rookie Cam Hart to fill in for Samuel while he’s out.

CB Asante Samuel Jr. (shoulder) was also ruled out. While an elite secondary is not required to limit Bo Nix, the Chargers’ defensive losses are notable here. Nix could have an easier-than-expected time returning QB2 value.

It wouldn’t be an NFL season with a surprise injury to Chargers defender. Samuel didn’t appear on the injury report until Friday when he was added as a limited participant. Per Jim Harbaugh, he suffered the injury in practice. Harbaugh told reporters he didn’t see the injury occur and didn’t give any more details. Samuel appears to be a true coin-flip for Week 1 given the lack of information.

Samuel will miss his fourth straight game despite drawing a questionable tag and seeming to have a shot at returning. It’s a boost to Patrick Mahomes, but the Chargers’ pass defense has held up well during Samuel’s now month-long absence. With 10 more days to get right, he should return for Week 16 @HOU. Joining Samuel on the sideline are S Alohi Gilman, QB Easton Stick, RB Larry Rountree and DL Breiden Fehoko.

LA will be without Samuel, who didn’t practice again this week after suffering a concussion two weeks ago against Pittsburgh.

Samuel (5'10/184) is yet another CB in this class with some NFL pedigree, as his father was a four-time Pro Bowler and two-time Super Bowl champ. A short, scrappy cornerback, Samuel is a bit of a loose cannon whose game revolves around being aggressive towards the ball in the air. Samuel has some issues dealing with strength from bigger WRs, though he does try commendably to play bigger than he is, and can be susceptible to being thrown off-balance as result of some sloppy footwork. Samuel is best playing off-coverage, either man or zone, and being allowed to trigger on what is in front of him (4.09s short-shuttle), rather than try to fight and run with a WR at the line of scrimmage. Moving him to the slot full-time could help quell the issue of dealing with bigger, stronger receivers, too. Samuel has some glimpses of Donte Jackson to his skillset, and should immediately be deployed as a rotational corner in nickel packages for Los Angeles.

While the Dolphins have a pair of first-round picks for next month -- Nos. 3 and 18 -- it’s probably unlikely either of those selections end up going toward a cornerback, simply because of where the picks fall. The No. 3 pick is too rich for CB in this class while the No. 18 pick is probably too far back to nab either of the top two corners in this class (Patrick Surtain, Jaycee Horn). Should Miami opt not to move about via trade, there would still be a number of intriguing Day 2 possibilities at corner for the club. Those would figure to include Asante Samuel Jr., Elijah Molden and Tyson Campbell.

Samuel Jr. also ranked No. 26 and No. 14, respectively, the past two seasons in passes defended per game. He is following in the footsteps of his father, who was a Pro Bowl NFL corner. Samuel is currently fighting for a late first-round call in April.