Steelers depth chart: 3 positional battles that could come down to the wire

The Pittsburgh Steelers have some sorting out to do. Here are three positional battles that could come down to the wire as the season nears. 

We are halfway through the Steelers 2021 preseason and there are a few positions on the depth chart that are still far from being decided. Though some positions (like wide receiver and quarterback) seem easy to predict how the players will wind up in the pecking order this year, others are still very much a mystery.

Preseason injuries and performances can certainly shake things up. With two more games to go, here are three Steelers depth chart battles that could come down to the wire:

Nickel cornerback

Antoine Brooks Jr. vs Arthur Maulet

To begin training camp, Antoine Brooks was running as the first-team nickel defensive back. This is something many fans didn’t see coming, as Brooks was drafted as a box strong safety in the 6th round of the 2020 NFL Draft.

However, after entering the league as a borderline hybrid linebacker at 220 pounds, Brooks claims he has trimmed down to the 200-205 range for training camp and he has done quite well for himself in this new role. Unfortunately, a recent injury opened the door for veteran Arthur Maulet to climb back into the nickel CB competition.

Maulet struggled a bit against the Cowboys in the Hall of Fame Game but looked better last week against the Eagles. Brooks finally returned to practice after being absent for a week, but Maulet has done a decent job running with the first-team defense in his stead. Brooks is still the favorite to land this role with the Steelers, but their performances over the next two weeks could dictate who ultimately winds up atop the depth chart.