ESPN: Why free agent Asante Samuel Jr. is a fit for the Buffalo Bills

[ASFN Admin]

ESPN believes one of the top remaining free agents still available on the market would be a fit for the Buffalo Bills.

While the Bills have their No. 1 cornerback in Christian Benford secured for the 2025 season, Rasul Douglas remains a free agent. Buffalo has a hole in the other starting spot

ESPN suggests Asante Samuel Jr. for the job.

The outlet went through the top remaining free agents in the NFL still available and picked ideal landing spots for them. When it comes to Samuel, the Bills were called a fit.

The 2021 second-round pick has 176 tackles, six interceptions and 37 passes defended in 50 career games with 47 starts. Pro Football Focus gave Samuel Jr. a 59.3 overall grade in 2024, which ranked 131st out of 222 cornerbacks.

But that's not why he's a fit for the Bills and why he could improve in Buffalo. Samuel is a zone cornerback and Sean McDermott's defense is a zone-heavy scheme.

ESPN dives deeper into that in their breakdown on Samuel below:

Unlike many of the other players in this conversation, Samuel is only 25 years old and entering the prime of his career. He wasn't spectacular during his time with the Chargers, but we didn't get to see him play much for new defensive coordinator Jesse Minter before the injury. Samuel had spent the entirety of his career up to that point under Brandon Staley, and it's possible he could look better in a different defense.

Samuel has played exclusively in zone-heavy schemes with the Chargers, so I would expect teams that lean toward zone coverages to give him serious consideration. His medicals will play a big role in determining how comfortable organizations are with investing in the former second-round pick, but given his abbreviated 2024 campaign, I would expect him to sign a one-year deal with the hopes of reestablishing his health and cashing in after a complete season next spring.

This article originally appeared on Bills Wire: ESPN: Why free agent Asante Samuel Jr. is a fit for the Buffalo Bills

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