Steelers roster: Cornerback is one position Pittsburgh must pursue

Following cutdown day, the Pittsburgh Steelers have four cornerbacks on their 53-man roster. Here’s why they must find help before the season. 

I have to admit, I’m quite pleased with most of the tough decisions the Pittsburgh Steelers had to make on cutdown day. Shortly after cutting their roster down to 80 players, Kevin Colbert and his crew had just a matter of days before being forced to get his roster down to just 53 players.

In the hours leading up to the 4:00 P.M. Eastern Time deadline on August 31st, the Steelers had some of their most difficult decisions to make. While there were a few things I may have done differently myself, I am very satisfied overall with the players that made the team.

The defensive line was clearly the strength of Pittsburgh’s roster, and I predicted they would keep Henry Mondeaux and Carlos Davis. Additionally, they were able to keep Isaiah Buggs – giving them a whopping 8 defensive lineman heading into the season.

However, one position that threw everyone through a loop was cornerback. The Steelers initially had three nickel cornerbacks listed on their roster to begin training camp with Antoine Brooks, Arthur Maulet, and Shakur Brown. None of them made the final cut.

This means that Pittsburgh has just four total cornerbacks on their initial 53-man roster – something that must change before the season begins.

Steelers must pursue cornerback help

Pittsburgh Steelers fans disagree on many things, but adding cornerback help prior to their Week 1 matchup against the Buffalo Bills is a decision I’m sure we can all get behind. Currently, this group consists of just Joe Haden, Cameron Sutton, James Pierre, and Justin Layne.

Three of these four players are exclusively boundary cornerbacks, with Sutton being the only exception as a defensive back who can play both outside and in the slot. Because of this, I would have to imagine that the team would want another player who they can slot inside the formation for nickel and dime packages.

While there are a number of quality options they could pursue at the cornerback position, most of the best players who have recently been cut are outside cornerbacks. There are a few exceptions.

Former Washington cornerback Jimmy Moreland has a lot of Mike Hilton-like qualities with his run defense and ability to fly downhill. However, it’s possible that he could be claimed before the Steelers get a chance at him. Nickell Robey-Coleman is another very experienced option they could pursue. He has had some very impressive seasons in the past and he played 612 defensive snaps last year (418 snaps from the slot).

Another option would be to trade for a cornerback before the start of the season. This doesn’t have to be a star player, but preferable a good scheme fit with ample experience covering the slot. Pittsburgh could entice teams with their terrific defensive line depth to potentially package a player in with the deal.

As of now, the Steelers would clearly move Sutton to the slot with James Pierre filling in at right cornerback during nickel packages. But even if this lineup proves to be successful, their depth at the position is razor-thin and they are one injury away from having no cornerback that could cover the slot.

It will be interesting to see what Pittsburgh’s brass comes up with in the next few days, but I expect them to land a cornerback very soon. This is an absolute must before Week 1.