Cornerback Asante Samuel Jr., who had planned to meet with the Bears while on a tour of potential teams, is signing with the Steelers. He’ll join their practice squad, per NFL Network.
Samuel was a free agent who had recovered from offseason spinal fusion surgery. The Bears were scheduled to talk to him Tuesday. He began his tour of NFL teams last week, when he met with the Panthers.
The former second-round pick’s father won two Super Bowls as a member of the Patriots.
Samuel started 47 games in the last four seasons for the Chargers. He would have made sense for a Bears team that is dealing with injuries to star Jaylon Johnson and slot cornerback Kyler Gordon.
The Bears’ addition of C.J. Gardner-Johnson to fill in for Gordon has proven wise, at least through two weeks. Gardner-Johnson, who was a free agent two weeks ago, has three sacks.
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