Steelers cornerback Joe Haden could be on his last legs in 2021

Joe Haden has had a remarkable NFL career, but here’s why he could be at the beginning of a downward spiral for the Pittsburgh Steelers. 

Nobody ever wants to admit when it’s time to hang it up. Last year, Pittsburgh Steelers cornerback Joe Haden had a respectable season, but there was a clear drop in play from his performance in 2019. While this doesn’t necessarily mean that he will be on a downward spiral, it’s not a great sign from a 32-year-old cornerback.

Every position has a shelf-life – an age in which a majority of players begin to decline. For running backs, decline age begins at just 26 years old (Le’Veon Bell is a perfect example of this). Though they might be given a similar workload as they have earned in the past, there is a quick and drastic decline in efficiency from what they were used to seeing earlier in their careers.

Fortunately, good players at the cornerback position can last much longer. Former Steelers cornerback, Ike Taylor, for example, didn’t become a starter until age 25 but started for Pittsburgh until the age of 34 before retiring. Sadly, Taylor’s play really dropped in his final two NFL seasons as he didn’t record a single splash play over his final 21 games.

There is a lot of evidence that cornerbacks see a swift decline at the age of 32 – even some legendary names. Darrelle Revis and Richard Sherman are examples of this. Both players were former All-Pro cornerbacks who were widely considered to be the best in the league at their position. However, after 8 Pro Bowl and 4 All-Pro seasons, Revis started to decline at age 31 and played just 5 games at age 32 before retiring.

Sherman’s career path has been similar to date. Sherman has 5 Pro Bowls and 3 All-Pros of his own. He had another terrific season at the age of 31 in 2019 but really came down to earth in 2020 – surrendering 4 touchdowns and a 116.2 passer rating in just 5 starts. Even former All-Pro cornerback Patrick Peterson seems to be in the same boat – grading out as one of the worst cornerbacks in the league last season at the age of 30.

Steelers Joe Haden could be the next CB to decline

While I certainly don’t wish this upon him, history shows us that Joe Haden could very well be next in line. Haden turned 32 years old back in April, and it’s hard to imagine that he will somehow return to his Pro Bowl status from 2019 – especially with Mike Hilton and Steven Nelson both gone from the secondary.

After earning 5 interceptions and allowing just 5.9 yards per target in 2019, those numbers went the opposite direction for Haden last season as he earned just 2 picks and allowed 7.1 yards per target in his direction, according to Pro Football Reference. Likewise, his passer rating allowed decreased from 66.5 to 75.9.

Don’t get me wrong: these numbers are still respectable. However, they aren’t what they used to be. Even though Haden has been mostly healthy over the past three seasons, he’s not immune to the dreaded cornerback decline.

I really hope that Joe Haden could outlast this curve and have another great season for the Steelers as Pittsburgh looks to compete for one more Super Bowl under Ben Roethlisberger. However, it’s certainly possible that the Steelers cornerback could be on his last legs in 2021.