Steelers training camp: Antoine Brooks Jr. could have a big role on defense

The Pittsburgh Steelers are looking for young players to step up this year. Here’s why it looks like Antoine Brooks could be one of them. 

The Steelers are very early into the start of their 2021 training camp, but we are already starting to discover some important tidbits. Third-round rookie center, Kendrick Green, got the nod as the first-team center to open camp and rookie Dan Moore even took some reps with the first-team offense at left tackle.

While a large portion of the attention is expected to be on the rookie class, Antoine Brooks is a name that has been very quiet for most of the offseason. That could soon change.

For much of the offseason, fans and the media alike sat back and tried to predict which players the Steelers would rely on in their secondary after the departures of Steven Nelson and Mike Hilton this offseason. Though Cameron Sutton will clearly step into a larger role this year with the team, it was a mystery as to who would step in and fill the void for Pittsburgh in nickel and dime packages.

Now, it looks like Antoine Brooks Jr. could be that guy who is sliding into the slot. This comes as a surprise to many, as most predicted that James Pierre and Justin Layne would be the players battling for a potential starting gig. Though they could each earn significant playtime this year, it was Brooks who started in the nickel with the first-team defense to open Steelers training camp.

Brooks is off to a great start at Steelers training camp

The news of the opening practice revolved around a player who was seldom talked about leading up to this point. Antoine Brooks – Pittsburgh’s sixth-round draft choice in 2020 – turned heads as he picked off Ben Roethlisberger from the slot and earned praise from his teammates during media sessions.

At 5’11” and 220 pounds coming out of Maryland last year, Brooks certainly doesn’t fit the size profile that the Steelers typically look for in a slot cornerback. This is a visible difference from what Mike Hilton, who was listed at 184 pounds. However, Hilton played much bigger than his weight, and head coach Mike Tomlin clearly covets physicality in the slot.

Unlike rookies who are drafted higher, Brooks had to wait his turn with the team last year, and he didn’t even dress for a game until the second half of the season where he appeared in only 4 contests. According to Pro Football Reference, 28 of his 29 defensive snaps on the season came against the Cincinnati Bengals in a blowout win in Week 10 last year.

In 2021, it’s looking like Brooks can do much more than simply see the field during garbage time, and he could be the top player in line as the nickel defender – a big and important role on Pittsburgh’s defense.

We are still very early into Steelers training camp and it’s very possible that the team could just be experimenting in the secondary until they get the best combination of players. However, rolling with the starters was a terrific sign for Antoine Brooks Jr., and he could be in line for a much larger role with the team in 2021.