5 free agents from the Super Bowl the Steelers should sign

Steelers can target Phillips

A name I have always been fond of, Darius Phillips has had a career with the Bengals to this point. An athletic freak and fine return man, the question was if he would ever carve out a role on defense in the slot. He seemed to be on that track earlier on, as he recorded four interceptions in his second season and was increasing his playing time.

Then things fell apart for Phillips. He saw the Bengals redo their cornerback room last offseason, and the added Mike Hilton essentially took his defensive role away. H became, essentially, just a return for this team, a stark difference from when he was an ascending slot cornerback. He is almost certainly set to walk this offseason and try and get a better opportunity to start on a different defense.

The Steelers would be a good fit for Phillips, as their slot cornerback is up in the air right now. While Tre Norwood will figure into that role, Phillips is a more proven entity right now. While the team usually doesn’t like to use defensive backs as a return man, he would also have an instant job there. Adding Phillips from a rival would be a big get for the team in 2022.