The Green Bay Packers are officially done for the year, which means that Brian Gutekunst is now whipping up his shopping list for the offseason. Most of the resources have already been used after the Packers brought Micah Parsons in with a blockbuster trade last summer, but one of the areas that must be addressed is at cornerback.
The Packers’ cornerback situation is one of the biggest questions heading into the spring, as Keisean Nixon, Carrington Valentine, and Javon Bullard turned in uneven performances, and Nate Hobbs appears to be a free agent bust. A late-season attempt to fix the problem appears to have fizzled after Trevon Diggs played just one snap in Saturday’s loss to the Chicago Bears, and the Packers may have to be aggressive to provide some resistance in the secondary.
Fortunately for Green Bay, they may have been thrown a lifeline. The Pittsburgh Steelers announced on Tuesday that head coach Mike Tomlin is stepping down from his position after 19 seasons with the team. While that news may not seem like it has an effect on the Packers’ cornerback search, it could provide an avenue to take a second swing at free agent cornerback Asante Samuel Jr.
Asante Samuel Jr. Back on Packers Radar After Mike Tomlin Steps Down as Steelers HC
The Packers were connected to Samuel midway through the season as the 26-year-old went on a tryout tour after he was cleared from a spinal injury. While the stops included the Chicago Bears, San Francisco 49ers, Minnesota Vikings, and the Packers, Samuel signed with the Steelers and had a fan in Tomlin as he worked his way into playing shape.
“I’m not surprised by what I see from that young man,” Tomlin said after a win over the Miami Dolphins in Week 15. “That’s why we were so excited to get him. We did our draft evals when he came out [in the 2021 draft] and really liked him when he came out of [Florida State]. He’s a global starter. We’re appreciative of his efforts and certainly not surprised by it.”
While Samuel played well, making 10 total tackles, a pass defense, and an interception in six games with the Steelers, Tomlin’s departure throws an obstacle in his return to Pittsburgh as a free agent. If Tomlin doesn’t get a job somewhere else, Samuel could be looking elsewhere for a team, and the Packers could look very appealing ahead of next season.
Green Bay could lose DC Jeff Hafley in the coming weeks, but the bones of a defense that ranked 11th in scoring and 12th in yardage are still there. Those numbers also don’t do the Packers justice after free-falling on a five-game losing streak after Parsons tore his ACL. But with Parsons’ return, it could make life a lot easier on the cornerbacks playing behind him on a team that could be a Super Bowl contender.
There will be other suitors who will try to convince Samuel to land with their teams. But the Packers may put Samuel on their list again and could come down with a solid answer to their cornerback issues when he becomes a free agent.
