Steelers should have signed Alexander
On the flip side of things, if the Steelers didn’t want to trade for Hughes for whatever reason, an even better slot cornerback was sitting on the market waiting for a home. Mackensie Alexander is a name that should ring some bells. He played all of last season with the Bengals, and while he was far from a superstar, he was a steady option in their secondary. He is a perfect slot cornerback who relies on solid coverage skills to make an impact in the secondary.
In the 13 games that he played in last season (he started 10 of those games), Alexander only allowed a quarterback average of 82.3 when he was targeted in the passing game. If you go back to his 2018 season, he compiled four total sacks. No, he isn’t the physical run stopper or pass rusher that Mike Hilton was, but he can still function in a similar role if need be.
Considering the Vikings brought him back late into the offseason on a deal that was worth the minimum, it makes no sense that the Steelers didn’t at least kick the tires on him. Even if the team wanted to develop a slot cornerback for the long term such as Shakur Brown, having a capable starter to ease that transition would have been beneficial to the defense. Adding Alexander on the cheap would have been a huge boost to this secondary.