Steelers vs Panthers: 4 burning questions Pittsburgh must answer
By Tommy Jaggi
How will the Steelers solve their nickel cornerback issue?
To begin training camp, Antoine Brooks was listed as the team’s starting nickel cornerback. However, after suffering an injury in the middle of training camp, Brooks was not able to get back on the field. This led to him landing on the released/injury list.
Other teams had a chance to claim Brooks, but he was able to clear waivers and land back on IR for the Steelers. However, he won’t be around for a while and even when he’s healthy, the Steelers may not be counting on him in any capacity.
Arthur Maulet was brought in to add depth to the slot cornerback position this offseason, but the former New York Jet has been unspectacular so far. With a potentially large role on the line, I expect to see a lot of Maulet against the Panthers, but will he perform any better than he has all preseason?
The Steelers best option is probably moving Cameron Sutton to the slot in nickel packages, but Pittsburgh still needs some reliable depth here. Will there be a player who proves worthy of that role this week, or does the team need to look for outside help?