Jacob Punturi· Aug 5, 2026
Punturi argues that Asante Samuel Jr.'s camp play has him pushing past first-backup status toward the Steelers' No. 2 cornerback role, forcing the staff to rethink how it uses him alongside Joey Porter Jr. and Jamel Dean.
“He's moved beyond being the first backup and is seriously forcing the coaching staff to consider how they will deploy him, Porter Jr. and veteran Jamel Dean when everyone is healthy.”
published in writing · Sports Illustrated · read the original →
One checkable claim, graded on its own against what actually happened.
It names 2 players and teams, each linked to their own record.
Nothing to score yet: this grades once the result is in.
Of the 1 unsettled call enough other pundits have weighed in on, this one lands above the rest of the room.
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Who this take is about
1 checkable claim in this take
Each one is scored on its own against the published methodology. A pundit naming several outcomes is graded on each, not on all-or-nothing.
Asante Samuel Jr. to be 2nd on the depth chart
“The way he's playing, he appears to be pushing for cornerback two reps. He's moved beyond being the first backup”
Not settled yet. This is graded once the result is in.
What others said about the same people
- Nick WrightGame Outcome Picks · Pittsburgh SteelersMiss · 0Wright called the Chiefs the NFL's best team and predicted they'd control the Raiders on the road en route to the 12-5 season he had forecast, while also picking the Steelers, Bills and Vikings in Week 4. He expects Tyreek Hill to return to Kansas City, with his Arrowhead return coming Nov. 8 against the Jets, and sees Josh Simmons missing Week 4 but back by the Seahawks game.
- Ty SchmitGame Outcome Picks · Pittsburgh SteelersMiss · 0Schmidt picked the Steelers to beat the Browns, arguing teams missing multiple offensive line starters play badly against fronts like Pittsburgh's, and he also said he doesn't believe Jerry Jones will pay Joey Porter Jr. right away in Dallas.
- Chuck PaganoGame Outcome Picks · Pittsburgh SteelersMiss · 0Pagano picked the Steelers to win Thursday night in Cleveland, citing Pittsburgh's pass rush against a patched-together Browns offensive line and expecting a low-scoring rivalry game.
- AJ HawkGame Outcome Picks · Pittsburgh SteelersMiss · 0Hawk said his instincts were on Pittsburgh from the start and he stuck with the Steelers to win in Cleveland on Thursday night.
- Connor "Boston Connor" CampbellGame Outcome Picks · Pittsburgh SteelersMiss · 0After flirting with taking Cleveland because of the Browns' Thursday night home history, Connor landed on the Steelers to win the game.
- Anthony “Tone Digs” DiGuilioGame Outcome Picks · Pittsburgh SteelersMiss · 0Despite reciting the Browns' dominant Thursday night home history, Tone sided with the Steelers to win the game.
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