As the Steelers opened training camp, two of the biggest names in their secondary were nowhere to be found. Joey Porter Jr. and Jalen Ramsey both landed on the PUP list before the team’s first practice, with Ramsey dealing with a knee injury and Porter said to be working through a bad back.
That absence has opened the door for Asante Samuel Jr., and he’s wasted no time walking through it.
Over the first week-plus of camp, Samuel has been everywhere. He’s consistently affected the football in team drills, stacking up pass breakups across multiple levels of the field. One of the loudest moments came in a one-on-one rep against DK Metcalf, when Samuel got his hands on a deep ball from Aaron Rodgers.
On Thursday, head coach Mike McCarthy was asked about Samuel’s early impact, and he didn’t hold back.
“[He’s made a] huge first impression with me,” McCarthy said. “Starting back in the spring… great energy all the way through the offseason program.
I love his ball skills, his instincts, and his awareness. I think he’s had a great offseason [and] I think he’s having a better training camp.”
With Ramsey sidelined, Pittsburgh has also had to shuffle pieces around in a version of its STAR role, the kind of job Ramsey handled in Los Angeles during the Rams’ Super Bowl LVI run. Patrick Graham said in the offseason that Ramsey would fill that role in his defense, but with the All-Pro corner not on the field, the Steelers have been able to explore Samuel’s range. McCarthy made it clear he sees Samuel as more than a one-position corner.
“I think he’s definitely a position flexible player, clearly,” McCarthy said.
Samuel’s path to Pittsburgh has already been unusual. The Steelers signed him last season after he fell to them as a free agent while recovering from spinal fusion surgery in April.
David Okonkwo, the Steelers’ neurosurgeon, performed the procedure. Once Samuel was cleared in early November, Pittsburgh moved quickly to bring in the former second-round pick.
He answered almost immediately. In Week 15 against the Miami Dolphins, Samuel intercepted Tua Tagovailoa to end Miami’s second drive, helping spark a Steelers runaway. Miami scored late to make the final margin look a little friendlier, but Pittsburgh had already built a 28-3 lead midway through the fourth quarter and finished with a 28-15 win.
Now, with a full offseason behind him and fresh eyes on his game, Samuel looks like more than just a useful piece. He’s building on the late-season foundation he set in 2025, and he’s doing it with force. No. 22 isn’t waiting for a bigger role - he’s claiming one.
In Other News...
Steelers Suddenly Have Real Doubt About Will Howards Backup Push
Will Howards push to become Aaron Rodgers backup has hit a familiar training-camp snag for a young quarterback: the flashes are there, but the trust factor is not. Through camp, Howard has been battling for the No. 2 job in Pittsburgh, and the early view has been uneven enough that the competition still feels very much alive. Mason Rudolph, meanwhile, has done enough to look like the steadier option if the Steelers had to sort out the depth chart today.
For Howard, the next chance to change that perception comes in the preseason game against Green Bay, where every throw will matter a little more than it does in practice. The path is clear enough: show he can be more consistent in the middle of the field and when pushing the ball downfield, and the conversation around the backup job gets a lot more interesting. Until then, the Steelers are left weighing upside against reliability behind Rodgers. [Read more 🡒]
Steelers Tight End Competition Just Got More Crowded Again
The tight end room in Pittsburgh picked up another body this week, with Lance Mason joining the mix after a stop in Seattle. The Steelers moved quickly on the undrafted rookie from the 2026 NFL Draft, betting on a player whose college path included Missouri State and Wisconsin, where he earned Second-Team All-Big Ten honors and showed enough to keep drawing NFL attention.
Mason arrives at a time when every available rep matters for a position still sorting itself out, and the roster move had an immediate ripple effect. To create the opening, Pittsburgh parted with J.J. Galbreath, a reminder that even the back end of the depth chart is feeling the squeeze as the Steelers keep churning the competition. [Read more 🡒]
Steelers Camp Just Raised A Real Question About Their QB Depth
The offense has looked a little cleaner during recent training camp work at Saint Vincent College, which is at least a step in the right direction for a Steelers unit trying to find some rhythm. There have been encouraging signs elsewhere on the field too, with undrafted rookie Kevin Jobity Jr. making his presence felt as an interior pass rusher and Anderson continuing to strengthen his case in the battle for the starting right guard spot.
Still, the quarterback room has become a more interesting subplot as camp unfolds. A rookie has had trouble with decision-making and accuracy, and those kinds of growing pains can quickly become a bigger concern when a team is trying to piece together dependable depth behind its top options. For Pittsburgh, the early camp progress is real, but so is the reminder that one shaky stretch at quarterback can change how the entire depth chart is viewed. [Read more 🡒]