Asante Samuel Sr. attention-hogging comments-be-damned, we’re likely in the midst of the Miami Dolphins – and other teams – spending serious time focusing on what’s going on with his son and namesake. And unless Dolphins management is going to just ride it out with who they’ve got at cornerback, the best chance at a good outside corner is Asante Samuel Jr.  

Reports on Samuel Jr. were that he was scheduled to seek medical clearance for his surgically-repaired neck/shoulders in early July. With a week left in the month, there have been no public mentions of any clearance, so either he wasn’t cleared or the date was backed up because one can’t imagine his agent would keep it quiet if he had been.

REGARDING THE REPORTED INJURY

Samuel’s specific injury has not been publicly disclosed, but some digging based on what has been gives clues to what he’s most likely dealing with.

The only injury that matches the description of what Samuel Jr. has made public about his issue (that it’s stinger-like; he was born with it; and it required ‘neck’ surgery) would be what’s called an Upper-Trunk Brachial Plexus Birth Injury.

There are a few different surgeries that could help someone born with this condition.

Notably, Samuel’s recent surgery was specifically said to have been on his neck. So that suggests the surgery involves his nerves in some way, whether it be removing scar tissue, decompressing damaged nerves, or grafting/transferring nerves from the leg or back to the neck/shoulder area.

The uncertainty related to his timeline would be consistent with this being the injury, as would the fact that other teams have been unwilling as of yet to take the risk. His status could also be what’s holding up teams from signing other cornerbacks, hoping there’s some resolution as he’s the best option left.

Samuel is in the fourth month of what is said to typically be a six-to-12 month recovery, even though it’s been stated that he was looking to be cleared this month.

To wrap up the injury section AND be clear regarding the exact nature of his injury — this is speculation/an educated guess, not a report. Neither Samuel nor the Chargers ever disclosed an exact diagnosis and Jim Harbaugh actually made a point to avoid it at the beginning of his postseason presser.

HAPPENS SOON OR IT WON’T LIKELY HAPPEN

Miami has not seemed to shy away from players with injury history in the past, but it also quietly seems to be gearing up for the future.

If it took a chance on the Ft. Lauderdale (St. Thomas Aquinas HS) native and he fully recovers, the Dolphins land the guy who a year ago was atop the Chargers depth chart at cornerback. He’s only 26 and there aren’t any others like him on the market this July.

If the Dolphins choose not to go this route, they will either be a) looking at a group of free agents with little long-term prospects; b) staring at the reality of adding no potential long-term option for this season or c) giving young corners like Jason Marshall Jr., Storm Duck, Ethan Bonner, Ethan Robinson, B.J. Adams or Isaiah Johnson those reps to see if one of Chris Grier’s “acorns” drops from the sky again, as it did a few years ago with Kader Kohou.

If they wait until Samuel’s agent announces to the world that he’s medically-cleared, Miami will find itself in a bidding war it won’t win.

Gather the intel, figure out if the risk/reward ratio and go for it on a short-term deal. Or move on.

IS IT ABOUT THIS YEAR OR NEXT

If the primary concern is how much you get out of him in 2025, the July delay feels like maybe the Dolphins look elsewhere.

But the idea here is sign him at a bargain price if you feel like he will fully recover eventually, even if that means by 2026 camp.

If he doesn’t play in ’25, the team will have likely earned good faith with him and re-signing should again come at a reduction because he still will not have played in nearly two years and Miami took a chance on him, nevermind that he may also get accustomed to being back home.

INJURY YEAR AN ANOMALY FOR SAMUEL

Samuel’s four games for the Chargers last season were the fewest he played in any season of his career.

If Miami has done its research and feels the injury risk is not long term, offer him a one-year, $5 million or so deal and if things work out with his health, extend him. The Dolphins would only have the opportunity at this price by taking that risk, even if it means he sits half the year or more.

WHEN HE’S GOOD, HE’S GOOD

Through 50 games with the Los Angeles Chargers after they selected him in the second round of the 2021 draft, the former Florida State standout has totaled 37 pass breakups and six interceptions.

He’s not a fantastic tackler, which is reasonable considering where his injury limitations have been. But as a cover corner, he would be a play-style fit for what it seems defensive coordinator Anthony Weaver likes to run, though that may vary based on this year’s personnel.

And that was before the team has seemingly lost veteran Artie Burns on day 1 out on the practice fields.

“When healthy, Samuel has a playmaking mentality at cornerback and uses sudden closing speed to break on the ball. That ability to pattern match and make plays on the ball is something Miami’s current group could desperately use.” – ESPN’s Matt Bowen (May 2025)

ONE LAST NOTE ON JUNIOR AND SENIOR

What Asante Jr. said about the Dolphins and their culture circulated widely and many believed it threatened Miami’s chances that the elder Samuel would say those things.

But if things haven’t changed since this 2021 piece in the L.A. Times, the objections of Samuel Sr. don’t seem to make waves in anything other than the podcast and clickbait world, because father and son haven’t always seen eye-to-eye.