With the Steelers slot cornerback position still questionable, these six routes are the most likely way the team fills the void there in 2021.
With the departure of Mike Hilton, the Steelers are for the first time without a consistent slot cornerback on the roster since he made the roster in 2017. The team has a couple of in-house options as well as free agents that could make sense to bring in, but until anything definite happens, this group is very much in question for the 2021 season. Not all of the options are great (they never are when you are filling needs this late into the offseason), but each solution provides someone that would be able to play in the slot. With all that said, here are the Steelers’ six most likely solutions to the question at slot cornerback.
Steelers wait until cutdown day
Of all six options, this one is easily the worst and least likely. While the Steelers have been known to add roster cutdown players regularly, they usually fill basic depth positions, not starting ones. Simply put, adding a player from another team’s camp so late in the offseason and throwing them into a starting role is daring to say the least. The team has done it before though, as Ross Cockrell found himself a starter shortly after the Steelers brought him in after the Bills cut him.
There are some intriguing names on the team’s roster bubbles as well. A name that instantly pops to mind is Broncos’ slot cornerback Essang Bassey. He went undrafted last year out of Wake Forrest and the Broncos starter him in the slot for a good portion of the year. He had his struggles, but that is to be expected from an undrafted rookie. That all said, if this is truly the team’s plan at slot cornerback this season, don’t be surprised to see this group struggle mightily during the season.
Steelers sign Conley, let Sutton play slot
To be clear, I name-drop Gareon Conley as the free-agent outside cornerback to be signed to play the outside. To be frank, there aren’t a lot of names that make sense currently on the market to play the outside. Richard Sherman is better in a zone scheme, is pretty old, and would likely cost a good bit. Steven Nelson is the best option, but considering the Steelers cut him, I doubt a reunion is in order. That leaves Conley, to me, as the best outside corner option. If you have any harsh objections to him, fill it in with a different free agent outside cornerback.
Signing a player like Conley (or just an outside corner in general) means that Cameron Sutton will take on a more unique role for the defense. When only two corners are needed (base defense) Sutton and Joe Haden will man the starting spots. When a slot cornerback is needed (nickel and dime defense) Sutton would kick inside and allow Conley to take on the outside spot.
The reason this option is so low on the ranking is due to the Steelers’ surplus of outside capable cornerbacks. Adding a veteran outside cornerback doesn’t make a lot of sense when you consider who else is on the roster. As well, they would be behind a player like James Pierre and even Justin Layne at this point in the offseason. A good camp would change that, but with a surplus of outside cornerbacks already on the roster, expect the Steelers to go in a different direction.
The Steelers allow Brown to man the slot
Easily the Steelers’ most exciting undrafted free agent, Shakur Brown has been making some noise early and often so far in his career. He has been one of the earlier risers during OTA’s, and he figures to be the safest roster lockout of the undrafted rookie pool. Just making the roster doesn’t guarantee a starting spot, but if he continues to flash the team may just roll with Brown as their top slot cornerback.
Brown was solid as a junior last season at Michigan St., as he recorded five interceptions and looked good in coverage. The issue was the lack of overall tape with him being an underclassman and his horrible testing times. That said, his athleticism can be better hidden in the slot, as instincts and physicality can make up some lacking athleticism.
While going from undrafted to starting in your rookie year is a stretch, a similar story happened before Brown was on the roster. While Hilton wasn’t a rookie the year he started, he was a reserve/futures deal player that was truly a camp shocker. He played so well in the preseason that the team started him in the slot and the rest was history. Could a similar story happen with Brown? The early indications are that it could, but Brown still has a lot to prove before the team would likely be comfortable with starting him.
The Steelers sign Poole
One of the best-fitting free agents still on the market for the Steelers is Brian Poole. The veteran slot corner has been a good-not-great option so far in his career, and while he is a little older at 29, he still has a few good years of football left in him. While his size restricts him only to the slot, that shouldn’t be a huge deal considering the number of outside options the team has on the roster currently.
While currently from Atlanta, Poole enjoyed a good two seasons with the Jets. Over those two seasons, he started 17 total games, recorded three interceptions, and had a quarterback rating of 91.3 in 2019 and 61.6 in 2020. Both of those numbers showcase the coverage skills that Poole has. It is pretty shocking to still see him on the open market, but he would make a lot of sense for the Steelers to target.
Unlike Conley, Poole is a specific player here, as he is easily the best slot-capable cornerback still available on the open market. If signed, he would instantly step in as the full-time starter in the slot and allow Sutton to focus on playing on the outside full-time. His run defense would be a slight step back from what Hilton provided, but even then, Poole is easily the best option that is not currently on the roster.
Steelers allow Fitzpatrick to move partially to the slot
The Steelers have one of the best young centerfielders in the NFL in Minkah Fitzpatrick. While the team can and should keep him as a predominantly free safety, his man coverage skills could lend itself well to him seeing some snaps in the slot. Given the elite traits he has shown in coverage, the move to the slot in some capacity would further maximize his skill set.
This would be predicated on having a capable third safety to play deep when he went into the slot granted. Terrel Edmunds is clearly not that type of a player, and the team is lacking a natural free safety behind Fitzpatrick at this point. A player like Malik Hooker or a similar quality free agent safety would allow Fitzpatrick to play in the slot and not just as a free safety.
As of now, this isn’t a Fitzpatrick issue as much as it is what do you do at his natural position if he moved into the slot. There were serious talks that Fitzpatrick could play safety when he was entering the draft, and while he is best served at free safety, helping the team in the slot would still maximize his good coverage skillset. Assuming the team could find a capable free safety whenever they are in subpackage, Fitzpatrick could slide down into the slot whenever a slot cornerback is needed on defense.
The Steelers put Pierre on the outside, move Sutton to the slot
Of every option listed here, this is the one that makes the most sense as of now. While projecting a player like Brown to start as a rookie is hopeful, he will have to be dominant during the preseason in order to be considered. A free agent could be an easy fix, but the team usually shies away from impact-free agents this late in the offseason. Looking at the roster as it stands, this is the safest bet as to how the Steelers will handle the slot cornerback role this offseason.
Pierre himself has been a bit of a marvel for the team. He was a lowly touted undrafted free agent rookie last offseason that played so well in camp that, without a preseason, he made the active roster outright. He gritted it out on special teams, but he eventually jumped Layne and saw some defense snaps towards the end of the season and into the playoffs. The next natural step for him is to play more on the outside. There is risk there, as his game film is limited, but he has a lot of potential based on last season’s play.
As for Sutton, he still gets to play both on the outside and inside for the 2021 season. Pierre wouldn’t start over him on the outside in base defense, but Sutton has the versatility to move to the slot when needed. This would allow Pierre to take on the other outside cornerback spot in what would be essentially a starting role. Unless the Steelers make a significant addition elsewhere or Brown proves to be too good to keep off the field, expect this to be the defensive plan heading into the season.
The loss of Hilton was a tough one to get over, but the Steelers have options still. Their in-house options and the players currently in free agency could provide the team an answer for who will play in the slot in 2021. These six options seem like the most likely solutions that the Steelers could have for their slot cornerback in 2021.