Former Florida State star cornerback on the defensive side of the ball could be headed to the Miami Dolphins, as another outlet projects a Seminole sent to South Beach.
With the Dolphins likely to lose another former Seminole, Jalen Ramsey, this offseason, the potential new Dolphin is coming off his rookie contract and looking to get paid.
However, there's a chance a shoulder injury and recent neck surgery could make teams hesitant to pick up the main man in question: Asante Samuel Jr.
After Ramsey spent the last two seasons with the Dolphins, playing in 27 games and recording five interceptions, 16 passes defended, one sack, and six tackles for loss, the Dolphins announced that the two parties would seek a trade this offseason.
Samuel Jr., in his four years with the Chargers, played in 50 games and accounted for six interceptions, 37 passes defended, and three tackles for loss.
However, Samuel Jr. only played in four games in 2024 due to a shoulder injury.
Matt Bowen of ESPN believes Asante Samuel Jr could be the next addition for the Miami secondary before the 2025 campaign begins.
"With Jalen Ramsey potentially getting traded, Samuel could boost the Dolphins' secondary. Miami is currently relying on Kader Kohou, Artie Burns, Storm Duck, Cam Smith, Ethan Bonner and rookie Jason Marshall Jr. to fill out the rest of the CB room."Matt Bowen, ESPN
The journalist continued, sharing that Samuel Jr has the necessary tools to become one of the better defensive backs for the South Beach team should the parties come to an agreement this offseason.
"When healthy, Samuel has a playmaking mentality at cornerback and uses sudden closing speed to break on the ball. That fits in a Miami defense that played Cover 2 on 27.3% of opponent dropbacks last season, the fourth most in the league. Samuel has the traits to pattern match in man, too. A shoulder injury limited him to four games in 2024, but Samuel had six interceptions and 26 pass breakups in four seasons with the Chargers."Matt Bowen, ESPN
The 'Fins will need to plug up their secondary, especially if Ramsey leaves, and Samuel could be the perfect fit this offseason.
Which Former Florida State Players Are On NFL Teams?
RB Trey Benson - Arizona Cardinals
DB Jammie Robinson - Arizona Cardinals
OLB Josh Sweat - Arizona Cardinals
WR Keon Coleman - Buffalo Bills
K Dustin Hopkins - Cleveland Browns
DL Mario Edwards Jr. - Houston Texans
DB Ronald Darby - Houston Texans
DB Jarrian Jones - Jacksonville Jaguars
DL Fabien Lovett Sr. - Kansas City Chiefs
DE Janarius Robinson - Kansas City Chiefs
DB Derwin James Jr. - Los Angeles Chargers
DB Asante Samuel Jr. - Los Angeles Chargers *free agent
DL Braden Fiske - Los Angeles Rams
OLB Keir Thomas - Los Angeles Rams
OLB Jared Verse - Los Angeles Rams
DB Jalen Ramsey - Miami Dolphins
RB Cam Akers - Minnesota Vikings *free agent
TE Jaheim Bell - New England Patriots
DL Joshua Farmer - New England Patriots
OLB Brian Burns - New York Giants
K Graham Gano - New York Giants
QB Jameis Winston - New York Giants
OLB Jermaine Johnson - New York Jets
DL Derrick Nnadi - New York Jets
DB Azareye'h Thomas - New York Jets
WR Ontaria Wilson - New York Jets
WR Johnny Wilson - Philadelphia Eagles
LB Tatum Bethune - San Francisco 49ers
DB Renardo Green - San Francisco 49ers
DL Eddie Goldman - Washington Commanders
OL Bobby Hart - Washington Commanders
More must-reads: