The Steelers made multiple roster moves, signing cornerback Asante Samuel Jr. to the active roster from the practice squad, claiming receiver Adam Thielen off waivers from the Minnesota Vikings and waived cornerback Darius Slay.
Samuel was originally signed to the Steelers practice squad on Nov. 12 and elevated from the practice squad to the Active/Inactive roster for the Bills game.
Samuel was originally drafted by the Los Angeles Chargers in the second round of the 2021 NFL Draft. He spent four seasons with the Chargers, starting 47 of the 50 games he played in. Samuel appeared in only four games in 2024 after dealing with injuries.
In four seasons with the Chargers, he had six interceptions, 37 passes defensed and a fumble recovery.
Samuel played college football at Florida State where he appeared in 32 games. He recorded 96 tackles, 71 of them solo stops, 33 passes defensed, four interceptions, three tackles for a loss, two fumble recoveries and a forced fumble.
Thielen, a 12-year NFL veteran, has appeared in 173 games, starting 133 of them. He has 693 career receptions for 8,380 yards, a 12.1-yard average, and 64 touchdowns.
Thielen entered the NFL as an undrafted rookie free agent in 2013 with the Minnesota Vikings, spending his first season in the league on the Vikings practice squad.
He spent the next nine seasons with the Vikings, before spending two with the Carolina Panthers. He returned to the Vikings in 2025 via a trade, appearing in 11 games, with five starts. He has eight receptions for 69 yards and no touchdowns this season, asking for his release to see more playing time in what he has said will be his final NFL season.
Thielen has had three 1,000-yard seasons, two with the Vikings (2017, 2018) and one with Carolina (2023). He had a career-high 14 touchdowns in 2020, despite playing in only 15 games.
Slay signed a one-year contract as an unrestricted free agent this offseason.
Slay has appeared in 10 games this season for the Steelers, starting nine. He was inactive for the Steelers Week 13 game against the Buffalo Bills, a healthy scratch.
He had 38 tackles this season, 28 of them solo stops, three passes defensed and one tackle for a loss.
Slay was originally drafted by the Detroit Lions in the second round of the 2013 NFL Draft, the 36th overall selection. He spent his first seven seasons with the Lions before playing the last five seasons with the Philadelphia Eagles after he was acquired via a trade in 2020.
He was a First-Team Associated Press All-Pro selection in 2017, a six-time Pro Bowl selection (2018, 2019, 2020, 2022, 2023, 2024) and a starter for the Eagles Super Bowl LIX championship team.
Bringing you the action: For fans who don't want to miss any of the action, NFL+ is here, which means you can now watch the Steelers live and on the go! Watch live local and primetime regular season games on mobile, plus NFL RedZone, NFL Network, live audio and more - all in one place.
