3 free agent cornerbacks Steelers should consider signing
By Tommy Jaggi
The Pittsburgh Steelers could use another capable veteran in their secondary. Here are three cornerbacks they could sign.
For most fans, the Steelers draft went according to plan. Though I’m all about the ‘best player available’ approach when it comes to the NFL Draft, I completely understand why Pittsburgh wanted to devote heavy draft capital to their offense.
The 2021 draft marked the first time since 1984 that the Steelers have spent their first four picks on the offensive side of the ball, and they are hoping for good results. Unfortunately, there is a downside to this. Spending so much of their high draft capital caused them to miss out on quality talent at other positions – particularly at cornerback.
Though Pittsburgh finally addressed cornerback in the seventh round with Tre Norwood, there’s no guarantee that he or the other undrafted cornerbacks they signed could make the team. After losing Steven Nelson and Mike Hilton, Pittsburgh could use a veteran cornerback who can be relied on. Here are three names they should consider:
Brian Poole
Brian Poole is a short, but well-built defensive back who can do a little bit of everything. I’m almost surprised that he is still on the market at this point. Poole earned 21 starts over his first three seasons with the Atlanta Falcons and earned a contract with the New York Jets in 2019 where he became a full-time starter.
Poole has now started in 17 of his 23 games played over the past two seasons and has done remarkably well for himself despite being on arguably the worst team in football. Over the past two seasons, the veteran defensive back has graded out inside the top 11 cornerbacks in the league both years, according to Pro Football Focus.
At just 5’9 1/2”, Poole lacks size on the outside, but he makes up for it with his football IQ and overall physicality. The best part is that Spotrac.com has Poole projected to make just $4.3 million annually, and that number could be even less after waiting this long to get signed.