zont called ball pic.twitter.com/H7l7w2Jg4Z
— Los Angeles Chargers (@chargers) July 29, 2023
In the last game cornerback Asante Samuel Jr. played in, he finished with three interceptions as the Chargers were shocked by the Jaguars in the Wild Card game.
Fast forward a few months to training camp, and Samuel has not skipped a beat.
Samuel has been a bright spot on the defense, especially on Wednesday during the two-minute toward the end of practice. He broke up three passes on the final drive in the red zone to seal the deal for the defensive unit.
“I’m just trying to get better and make plays for this team,” Samuel said following Wednesday’s practice.
“I’m feeling good. I feel like our team is getting better each and every day,” Samuel added. “We’re just competing really hard. We’re making each other better.”
Samuel has been impressive in coverage in his first two seasons in the NFL. Those skills have been on display on the practice field, as he has made great plays through the air nearly every day.
Samuel has played both along the boundary and in the slot, having his versatility utilized. With J.C. Jackson returning from his knee injury and Michael Davis handling the other outside spot, Samuel will likely play inside to start out the season and kick out depending on the matchup.
“Asante in his first two years, he has started every single game of his pro career,” head coach Brandon Staley said. “There has not been one game that he has been active for that he has not been a starter. He has earned that. He has gotten better and better both years.
“Going into this training camp, we’ve been able to see the versatility that we know that he has, but because of our depth and quality, we feel like we can put him in there more,” Staley added.
“He’s really improved inside because it’s a position that’s difficult to master, especially the way we play. We put a lot on that position. It’s not an easy position to play for us. It’s a feature position in our defense.
While strong against the pass, one of Samuel’s areas of improvement is in run support. In his rookie season, Samuel had a 20% missed tackle rate. Even though it dropped last season, it was still at 10%. Staley, however, feels like he is getting better in that department.
“He’s playing, from a technique standpoint, a lot better because he’s in there a lot more. I think you’ve seen, throughout these practices, him making plays outside and inside. He has to cover the tough guys in both places. He’s also done a good job in run support. He just needs to keep improving.”