Outside cornerback isn't the first position you think about the New Orleans Saints addressing this season. It isn't the second position either. Alontae Taylor is a critical free agent, but he plays on the inside. Even with corner not being a major need, Pro Football Focus' Mason Cameron still thinks Asante Samuel Jr. is a perfect fit for the Saints and vice versa.
The one reason for hesitancy is Samuel wouldn't fill the hole that could be created with Taylor leaving. Samuel is a boundary corner through and through. Cameron mentions the idea of Samuel as a depth piece, but he's likely looking for a starting role if he can find it.
Samuel battled back from an offseason neck surgery to play the last six games of the season for the Pittsburgh Steelers. He was able to record an interception in that time, and PFF gave him a season grade of 70.1. That should give him confidence on the open market, but it's hard to sell a Samuel-Saints pairing right now.
Asante Samuel and Brandon Staley once again connected with the Saints
This isn't the first time Samuel has been connected to the Saints. Samuel joining the Saints was a hot button topic last offseason. Unfortunately for him, he wasn't ready to play until the season started. If the timeline was different, there's a pretty good chance the cornerback would have donned the Black and Gold instead of Black and Yellow.
The connection to the Saints is the same as it was last offseason. Cameron sees Staley's history with Samuel as a natural connection. Staley drafted Samuel with the Chargers, and he had two strong seasons in Staley's final two seasons. It would make sense for Samuel to want to reunite with his former head coach to spark that fire again.
Simultaneously, Samuel didn't come to New Orleans for a reason, and that reason is still present. By the time he was ready to return to football, Quincy Riley was already settled in. The rookie stepped into a prominent role on the defense in his first campaign. There's no reason to see that changing right now.
It would make a lot of sense for the Saints to target Samuel. It's the player's desire that could be questioned. You can never have enough good cornerbacks, because injuries happen. It's just about whether Samuel wants to come to a place where he's more than likely going to be a backup.