PITTSBURGH -- Per the Canadian Football League, former Pittsburgh Steelers running back Jaylen Samuels has signed with the Ottawa Redblacks, marking a return to professional football for Samuels.
Samuels, who was considered a sort of utility player like Cordarrelle Patterson when he was selected by the Steelers in the fifth round of the 2018 NFL Draft, has signed on as a running back with the Redblacks for this CFL season. The all-around back spent his college playing time at North Carolina State, playing both running back and tight end for the Wolfpack.
Samuels spent three seasons with the Steelers, spending time on the active roster from 2018 to 2020. In three seasons with the team, Samuels notched 1,009 yards from scrimmage, with one rushing touchdown and four receiving touchdowns across his three seasons.
Samuels was cut from the Steelers roster during final cuts ahead of the 2021 season, and spent time on the team's practice squad until he was signed by the Texans on October 29 of that year. Samuels appeared in three games for the Texans that season before signing a contract with the Arizona Cardinals in 2022.
Samuels was released by the Cardinals in May of 2022, leading to the Houston Roughnecks of the XFL signing him, before an eventual release saw him also join the San Antonio Brahmas in the 2024 UFL Dispersal Draft. He would be released in April of 2024. Samuels would not appear in games for any of these teams, and was without a team until his signing by the Redblacks.
Despite now being 28 years old, Samuels brings genuine NFL experience to an Ottawa Redblacks team that lost in the East Division Semi-Final round last season, concluding a mediocre season for the team in Canada's capital city.
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