8 cornerbacks Steelers can sign to replace Joe Haden in 2022
By Andrew Falce
Steelers should sign Hughes
Mike Hughes fell out of favor fast with the Vikings. After being drafted in the first round, the expectation was for the athletic Hughes to take on a starting role. That never materialized, and he was traded to the Chiefs for a late-round pick this past offseason. While he never became a true starter with the Chiefs, he did play astronomically better when on the field with them.
He only played on 46 percent of the Chiefs’ defensive snaps, but he put up some of the better coverage statistics of his career. Better yet, the Chiefs run a typical Cover-1 scheme for their defense, meaning that Hughes was doing all of this while in man coverage. There is some risk with him still, but the Steelers have to be interested.
His drawbacks are numerous. He only has one good season to his name, and he has never played more than 64 percent of the defensive snaps in a season. That said, he fits what the team looks for in a cornerback, and that first-round pedigree will be appealing. If the team opts to spend some of their cap space elsewhere, Hughes could be an affordable reclamation project for the Steelers to take on.