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Report: Jets reach out to Asante Samuel to address injured secondary

With injuries thinning the depth in their secondary, the New York Jets contacted free-agent cornerback Asante Samuel.
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With injuries thinning the depth in their secondary, the New York Jets contacted free-agent cornerback Asante Samuel, according to Manish Mehta of the New York Daily News.

Top cornerback Dee Milliner sprained his ankle in practice Sunday, an injury that's expected to sideline him for several weeks, while rookie Dex McDougle, a third-round pick out of Maryland, suffered a torn ACL.

Veteran Dimitri Patterson has missed the last two practices with lower-body injuries, though he said they "weren't serious," according to the New York Post.

“I’ve had to deal with those kinds of situations in the past,” coach Rex Ryan said after practice. “Adversity to some comes opportunity for others…. We’ll be able to play defense. We have a lot of good football players. So we’ll be fine…. I’ve been talking about our depth. And now we’ll get to see it.”

More: Jets Report: It’s Geno’s Job to Lose

Samuel, 33, recorded 29 tackles and one interception in 11 games with the Falcons last season. Atlanta released the four-time Pro Bowler in February.

The Jets are expected to sign a younger player instead of Samuel, according to the Daily News. 

The Jets, who beat the Colts in their preseason opener last Thursday, face the Bengals in Cincinnati on Saturday. 

- Chris Johnson