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Pittsburgh Steelers: Is the Coty Sensabaugh signing worth anything after the NFL Draft?

By Noah Strackbein

Sep 12, 2016; Santa Clara, CA, USA; Los Angeles Rams cornerback Coty Sensabaugh (21) catches the ball in warmups before the game against the San Francisco 49ers at Levi's Stadium. The 49ers won 28-0. Mandatory Credit: John Hefti-USA TODAY Sports
Sep 12, 2016; Santa Clara, CA, USA; Los Angeles Rams cornerback Coty Sensabaugh (21) catches the ball in warmups before the game against the San Francisco 49ers at Levi's Stadium. The 49ers won 28-0. Mandatory Credit: John Hefti-USA TODAY Sports /
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The Pittsburgh Steelers added depth to their secondary by signing Coty Sensabaugh to a 2-year contract on March 20, but following the NFL Draft, is this signing still valuable?

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It appeared the Pittsburgh Steelers were excited about the signing of Coty Sensabaugh this offseason. The former New York Giant was a great depth addition to their defensive backfield.

With the NFL Draft behind us, though, Sensabaugh’s value to this team may be close to nothing. By adding Cameron Sutton and Brian Allen, Pittsburgh has bolstered their cornerback position, leaving almost no room for Sensabaugh in the rotation.

Unless he surpasses William Gay, the Sensabaugh should expect many reps this season. With the two rookies and the return of Senquez Golson, the Steelers’ cornerback depth chart has gone from empty to overcrowded in one offseason.

The most to expect from Sensabaugh now is a garbage time player. Artie Burns and Ross Cockrell will man the outside while Golson or Sutton will be the primary nickelback. If Allen can prove he’s ready to contribute this season, the backups on the outside will be he and Gay, leaving a third string role for Sensabaugh.

Really, there was little point in signing Sensabaugh. Prior to the draft, it was understandable to want to bulk this defensive backfield, but now that there is young promising talent on the roster, the signing becomes worthless.

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For the next two years and the cost of $2,600,000, Pittsburgh now has someone to ride the bench. They released Justin Gilbert because he was a non-factor in Pittsburgh, and now, they have the same situation with Sensabaugh.

At the time, yes, this signing was great, and everyone was happy to see more bulk added to the secondary. Now, though, the name Sensabaugh is irrelevant when talking about Pittsburgh’s cornerbacks.

With the slow demise of William Gay, maybe this signing will have more impact next season. In 2017, it means nothing, and unless these rookies are more underdeveloped than they’re believed to be, Sensabaugh won’t even enter training camp as someone thought to be a contributor.

He’s a veteran presence to compete with Gay. Besides that, the signing has no importance to the team this season. Pittsburgh is trying to make their secondary a group of young talented players. Unfortunately, Sensabaugh doesn’t fall under that category.

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It’s one of those situations where you prepare yourself ahead of time. When the Steelers signed him, Sensabaugh was a practical addition.

Now, he’s nothing more than a $2.6 million to relief players maybe once a week.

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