The free agency period and the 2025 NFL Draft are now behind us.
Almost all of the biggest names in free agency have therefore already signed, but there is one name that is surprisingly still available: Asante Samuel Jr.
Samuel is likely on the market still because of a shoulder injury that limited him to just four games in 2024. Still, in that limited sample, Samuel racked up 13 tackles and two pass deflections.
Several teams could use reinforcements at the cornerback position, so it’s likely Samuel finds a new home soon.
Ryan Smith of Pro Football Focus listed the Miami Dolphins as a logical landing spot for the talented young corner. Regarding Samuel’s potential fit in Miami, Smith offered the following:
The Dolphins entered free agency in desperate need of secondary help, and that was before news broke that All-Pro cornerback Jalen Ramsey and the team have mutually decided to explore a trade. No trade was completed over draft weekend, but that wasn’t much of a surprise, given the team will save $5.9 million in cap space if they wait until June 1.
Samuel played just four games last season before being placed on injured reserve with a shoulder injury. He was excellent in 2022 and 2023, ranking among the top 30 cornerbacks in PFF overall grade, breaking up 20 passes and intercepting four others over that span. Still just 25 years old, Samuel brings youth, pedigree and proven production at the NFL level — a potentially huge boost to the Dolphins’ secondary moving forward.
As Smith mentioned, cornerback could soon become an even bigger need for the Dolphins as Jalen Ramsey is likely to be traded.
“We had conversations through the weekend with teams. Whenever it happens, we will make the deal at the appropriate time,” Dolphins general manager Chris Grier said of Ramsey after the 2025 NFL draft.
Without Ramsey, the Dolphins would be forced to turn to Storm Duck, Cam Smith, and Kader Kohou as the starting corners. Additionally, the team didn’t draft a corner until the fifth round, so it seems unlikely that a rookie will earn a starting spot.
While it was disappointing Samuel didn’t get to play much in 2024, the corner was solid in 2022 and 2023. Samuel had a top-30 overall Pro Football Focus grade in both of those seasons and had two interceptions in each of his first three seasons.
Spotrac projects Samuel to land a four-year deal worth $11.5 million annually. However, coming off an injury and being available this late in the offseason, the Dolphins may be able to get Samuel for a smaller amount.
Over the Cap projects the Dolphins to have around $16 million in cap space, so a deal should be able to get done if the team is interested.
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