Chicago’s next big move? Bears to host Asante Samuel Jr for workout |
Dustin Riese
· · 3 hours ago
Now that the trade deadline has come and gone, it's time to take another look at this Chicago Bears roster. Granted, the Bears didn't make a ton of moves; however, the one move they made was for an area of need, as they added to what has been a lackluster pass rush.
The other area of need that many wanted the Bears to address was their secondary, as Chicago continues to deal with a rash of injuries to the back end of their defense. Kyler Gordon will return at some point, but with Jaylon Johnson expected to be out for the rest of the season, the Bears have already been short-handed at a position that has become far more important than in the past. With no more trades allowed to be made, the only way for the Bears to improve their roster is to look at the free agent market, which is what you have heard, as Asante Samuel Jr is set to work out for the Bears next Tuesday. By far the best cornerback on the open market, Samuel has a handful of visits to make in the coming days, and the Bears happen to be one of the teams on that list as long as he doesn't sign before that. The 26-year-old Samuel is the son of former New England Patriot great Asante Samuel Sr. and was a second-round pick by the Chargers in 2021. Since then, Samuel Jr has 50 games under his belt, 47 of which have come as starts. Looking at those 47 games, Samuel has not only produced but has arguably been one of the top five corners in the game. Should the Bears figure out a way to add him, he would be by far the biggest in-season acquisition since the Montez Sweat deal several years ago. Up to this point, Samuel Jr has come away with six interceptions while also breaking up 37 passes in four seasons. Samuel also collected 176 tackles (148 solo), three tackles-for-loss, and a fumble recovery, which goes to show that he is always around the ball no matter the situation. As good as Samuel Jr has been, there are some concerns about him, which alone is the single biggest reason he has been unsigned this long. Dating back to last season, you have a guy who only played in four games before missing the remainder of the season with an injury. What initially appeared to be a neck injury turned out to be much worse, as Samuel wasn't cleared for football-related activities this past offseason. Back in April, Samuel had spinal fusion surgery, and it wasn't until recently that doctors deemed him healthy enough to take the field once again, which is why you have so many free agent visits lined up. For what it's worth, Samuel came into the offseason as the 14th best available free agent and is the best available free agent left on the market. As terrifying as the injury is for everyone involved, he is certainly worth a look, as no one would have cleared him if he wasn't ready for contact on an NFL field. Adding Samuel not only improves one of the Bears' most significant weaknesses on the back end, but it could be a low-risk, high-reward situation that benefits the Bears not only this season, but also for several years to come, should the Bears decide to keep him for multiple seasons. The Bears have already added a cornerback to their secondary room, with CJ Gardner-Johnson being acquired in free agency last week, as the Bears had already identified this as an area of need. Should Samuel wind up signing with the Bears, not only would the Bears have two of the best free agent defenders on the market, but it would give the Bears plenty of versatility beyond this season to pair them with both Gordon and Johnson for the long haul. Hopefully, the Bears will have an opportunity to see what he can do before someone else signs him, as they will face plenty of competition to secure a deal. At the very least, give Poles some credit for going outside the box to try and improve this team, as he knows what this group is and the potential they have if all the pieces fall into place. The Chicago Bears will host CB Asante Samuel Jr. on Tuesday for a workout. Several teams checking in on him. #DaBears have strong interest. Samuel is only 26 but coming off serious spinal surgery.
