4 Steelers that have quietly had extremely strong seasons

Steelers Arthur Maulet

After a relatively underwhelming training camp and a brief time cut at the start of the season, Arthur Maulet has really developed into a stout slot defender for the team. Essentially, he plays like a worse version of Mike Hilton, as he is stout in run defense but is only average against the pass. This type of play isn’t suitable for every occasion, but it gives the team some flexibility when playing nickel against teams that may still run the ball.

Now, Maulet isn’t a player like Hilton that you want on the field 75 percent of the time. He does everything Hilton does a step or two worse, and as a defender, he has some physicality overall but is pretty limited. Early in games when teams have the ability to run or throw though, getting Maulet on the field has worked. He can allow the Steelers to be in a better pass defense unit while also adding some pop in terms of run defense.

While James Pierre and even rookie Tre Norwood are developing into better coverage players, Maulet is giving the team that physical edge they want in their slot cornerback. While he won’t get to the level that Hilton ever was, having the flexibility to get that physical style of cornerback on the field makes the defense better. Maulet has been a surprisingly strong addition to this defense despite not being a conventional starter.