# Jacob Punturi: 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.

**Claimed:** Aug 5, 2026
**Pundit:** Jacob Punturi — https://missedtakes.co/pundits/jacob-punturi
**Outlet:** Sports Illustrated — https://missedtakes.co/outlets/sports-illustrated
**How it reached us:** published in writing
**Original:** https://www.si.com/nfl/steelers/onsi/pittsburgh-steelers-cornerback-room-exploded-training-camp

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.

> 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.

*(their words, quoted for attribution)*

## The claims

- **Asante Samuel Jr. to be 2nd on the depth chart**
  - Kind: Depth Chart Calls · About: Asante Samuel Jr., Pittsburgh Steelers
  - Verdict: not settled yet

## Who this take is about

- Asante Samuel Jr. — https://missedtakes.co/nfl/players/asante-samuel-jr
- Pittsburgh Steelers — https://missedtakes.co/nfl/teams/steelers

## What others said about the same people

- Nick Wright on Pittsburgh Steelers: Wright 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. — https://missedtakes.co/opinions/1084e46f-ca77-4c03-9425-ac0fa5492de2 (scored 0)
- Ty Schmit on Pittsburgh Steelers: Schmidt 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. — https://missedtakes.co/opinions/82e62b39-211f-43a1-95fc-a260faf4b4a4 (scored 0)
- Chuck Pagano on Pittsburgh Steelers: Pagano 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. — https://missedtakes.co/opinions/cf66fb18-c5a0-43d4-aa30-388d02edc42e (scored 0)
- AJ Hawk on Pittsburgh Steelers: Hawk said his instincts were on Pittsburgh from the start and he stuck with the Steelers to win in Cleveland on Thursday night. — https://missedtakes.co/opinions/44d77c6f-361c-434f-af25-75e959afb410 (scored 0)
- Connor "Boston Connor" Campbell on Pittsburgh Steelers: After flirting with taking Cleveland because of the Browns' Thursday night home history, Connor landed on the Steelers to win the game. — https://missedtakes.co/opinions/355d60f8-6bfd-4870-b712-a1821d039d38 (scored 0)
- Anthony “Tone Digs” DiGuilio on Pittsburgh Steelers: Despite reciting the Browns' dominant Thursday night home history, Tone sided with the Steelers to win the game. — https://missedtakes.co/opinions/cea3db87-dee9-43d7-96e6-baad881e39ac (scored 0)

## More depth chart calls

The same kind of call, about other players and teams.

- John Breech on Jameis Winston: Breech picked the Eagles to beat the Bears 23-16 on Monday night, and expected Jameis Winston to start at quarterback for the Giants in Week 4 against Arizona while newly acquired J.J. McCarthy gets up to speed. — https://missedtakes.co/opinions/a6e98531-b302-4613-b490-06830338ade7 (scored 100)
- Chris Roling on Drew Lock: Roling expects Sam Darnold's hip injury to keep him out, meaning Drew Lock will be Seattle's quarterback when the Chargers visit in Week 4. — https://missedtakes.co/opinions/8a070ae3-e756-45b8-bae4-0104e432653c (scored 0)
- Christian Booher on Blake Miller: Booher lays out the Lions' projected depth chart for their Week 4 game at Carolina, naming starters, backups and reserves at every position, and suggests safety Bishop Fitzgerald could make his debut. — https://missedtakes.co/opinions/de49ff55-54a5-4410-ba7c-0b7e1f1a2f68 (scored 0)
- Carter Bahns on Shedeur Sanders: Bahns calls it reality that Shedeur Sanders will take over as Cleveland's starting quarterback by Week 4, with Deshaun Watson set to fail. — https://missedtakes.co/opinions/18802de8-941e-4551-b6e3-df7a752020b6 (scored 0)
- Carter Bahns on Shedeur Sanders: A CBS Sports preseason overreaction column argues Shedeur Sanders will take over as Cleveland's starting quarterback by Week 4, that Ja'Kobi Lane has a real path to a No. 2 receiver role as a rookie, and that Kenneth Walker III is a legitimate lead back atop the Chiefs' depth chart. — https://missedtakes.co/opinions/e82d31e3-169f-4419-a38c-ceaaa1d053a7 (scored 0)
- Garrett Podell on Case Keenum: Podell ranks all 32 current NFL starting quarterbacks entering Week 3 of the 2026 season, with Josh Allen first, Patrick Mahomes second and Case Keenum last. He also expects Kyler Murray and Michael Penix Jr. to return to action in Week 3 and Case Keenum to possibly start for the Bears. — https://missedtakes.co/opinions/0e92b59e-0dd1-43c3-80c1-6551a8b641ac (scored 100)

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Accuracy is 0-100 against what actually happened. The naive guess is what a strategy requiring no knowledge would have scored on the same call — the difference is the skill, and it is what the MissedTakes Score averages.

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