Asante Samuel Jr. Reportedly Still Open to Signing With Dolphins.jpg){kind=spacer}
The Miami Dolphins’ secondary is currently in disarray.
After trading Pro Bowler Jalen Ramsey, the team’s cornerback room is headlined by the likes of Kader Kohou, Artie Burns, and Storm Duck. With that said, it seems likely that the team will have to make a move before the beginning of the preseason. One signing that appeared to make sense is that of former Los Angeles Charger Asante Samuel Jr.
Samuel Jr. is the youngest remaining cornerback of note still currently unsigned. Injuries have complicated his situation, as he missed all but four games in 2024 due to a shoulder injury. If not for the injury, he would likely have been signed by now or remained with the Chargers after his rookie contract expired.
On paper, it feels like a no-brainer for Miami to take a flyer on Samuel Jr., given their cornerback deficiencies and his need to prove he has recovered from injury. Though that isn’t as straightforward as one would think after Asante Samuel Sr. went on a rant on his podcast, maligning the Dolphins’ coaches and front office.
“The Dolphins had no reason to trade Jalen Ramsey, other than they’re sensitive, there’s no leadership in the Dolphins organization, Mike McDaniel is a pushover and Chris Grier the General Manager has no backbone.” Samuel said. “These guy’s, the Miami Dolphins are running this team like a little league team, no one can stand up to the players, they’re terrified of their own players, and they have no control of their players.”
With that, most Dolphins fans considered signing Samuel Jr. impossible.
Surely, if his father were so adamantly against the franchise, he would be similarly disinclined to sign with the squad. Though it seems the door is at the very least slightly ajar, as Barry Jackson of the Miami Herald noted on X. Quoting tweeting Dolphins content creator Tyler Tarabocchia’s post about Asante Samuel Jr. liking a comment on his Instagram regarding him signing with Miami, Jackson wrote.
“When I checked on Asante last month, there was nothing I was told to suggest he wouldn’t consider Miami if the Dolphins make an offer. (There has been contact over the offseason.) So his father’s insults of McDaniel and Grier certainly do not rule this out.”
Does this mean it’s a done deal, and we can expect to see Samuel Jr. in aqua and orange soon? Of course not, but it does provide hope that a signing could get done, something that seemed hopeless earlier in the week.
I’ve gone on record saying the Dolphins should take the risk in a previous blog, and from his Instagram page, it would appear that he is able to exercise without the shoulder injury holding him back. If the Dolphins decide not to sign Samuel Jr., then they still have some options, such as Stephon Gilmore and James Bradberry, but both are over 30, with Gilmore pushing 35.
