The Green Bay Packers have two major problems that could derail their Super Bowl hopes, and they just missed an opportunity to help fix one of them.
Despite the defensive dominance on Monday Night Football, cornerback remains a concern for the Packers. It's why they hosted free agent Asante Samuel Jr. after he was cleared to return to the NFL. But after taking several visits around the league last week, the veteran is headed back to the AFC.
According to NFL Network's Ian Rapoport, Samuel is signing with the Pittsburgh Steelers' practice squad. Aaron Rodgers gets some defensive help at the expense of his former team.
"Asante Samuel Jr took his time and plenty of visits before making his decision. The Steelers had been looking for some backend help," Rapoport reports. "A potential high-reward signing."
Packers miss out on Asante Samuel Jr. as questions remain about cornerback room
Carrington Valentine played admirably in the Packers' loss to the Philadelphia Eagles, and Keisean Nixon did enough, but the questions remain. Nate Hobbs didn't play due to injury, and it's unclear when he will return. Beyond Hobbs, the Packers have paper-thin depth at cornerback.
One of their top backups on the depth chart, Bo Melton, has yet to log a defensive snap this season and spent time back at wide receiver on MNF.
Green Bay failed to address the cornerback position adequately in the draft and again at last week's trade deadline. Now, perhaps the final serious opportunity to add help this season has passed.
That said, the bigger concern is along the offensive line. Jeff Hafley's unit has found a way to keep the defense humming even when the secondary is under pressure, but the same can't be said about the offense. Poor play up front has completely derailed Matt LaFleur's unit.
Big questions remain for this team, but with Samuel headed to Pittsburgh, it'll come down to Valentine, Nixon, and Hobbs to lead the secondary for the rest of the season.