The Steelers may not be in the market for a splashy preseason move, but one cornerback situation is starting to look like the kind of late-August decision Omar Khan can’t just let ride.
Asante Samuel Jr. is back in the mix after Pittsburgh re-signed him in March to a one-year, $4 million deal, and the team got enough from his late-2025 return to at least keep the conversation open. But the contract never promised him a locked-in role, and the Steelers added another variable when they drafted Daylen Everette in the third round.
That’s where the trade chatter starts to make sense. Mark Kaboly of The Pat McAfee Show recently brought up Samuel as a possible move while speaking on 93.7 The Fan.
“Well, if there's anybody, if you wanna save a couple bucks and you don't see him fitting in, I would think one of those late August 28th cuts would be Samuel,” Kaboly said. “Not cuts, I would trade him for a fifth- or sixth-round pick.
Depending on how Everette pans out in the month of August. You'd like to keep him, but do you have to keep him?”
Kaboly’s logic is straightforward: if Everette looks ready, Samuel becomes a movable piece. The Steelers would only clear $1.2 million by cutting him, while taking on $2.8 million in dead money, so a trade would be the cleaner way to get value back if Pittsburgh decides the rookie can handle the job.
Everette has the traits the Steelers usually want at corner. He brings size, length and physicality, plays well in press-man coverage, can disrupt routes at the line, and adds the kind of run support that fits this defense.
But there’s still plenty to prove. His zone awareness and off-coverage technique need work, and that kind of growth usually takes time. Until he shows it in August, this is just a possibility, not a plan.
Samuel’s own 2025 numbers give Pittsburgh something to think about, too. He finished with one interception and 10 tackles, but he also allowed 10 completions on 14 targets. If Everette pushes hard enough to win the third cornerback job behind Joey Porter Jr. and Jamel Dean, a fifth- or sixth-round pick from a team like the Titans, Packers, Browns, Eagles or Lions would be tough to turn down.
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