10 upcoming free agent with obvious ties to the Steelers

Steelers could sign Amik Robertson

I have, for the most part, understated the need for an outside cornerback this offseason. Frankly, I’d rather address some other needs on this team and allow Cory Trice/Darius Rush to be the other outside cornerback. Where my main focus for an upgrade is in the slot, as Chandon Sullivan/Patrick Peterson were very mid-last year.

While he didn’t register as many starts there this year, Amik Robertson would make a lot of sense in that role for the Steelers. His first two seasons with the Raiders were unremarkable and he barely played, but he has played roughly 60 percent of the defensive snaps since. Undersized, he plays with a lot of physicality and can rush the ball.

Like Hudson, Robertson was a player in the Covid draft of 2020. That said, the Steelers did their initial homework on him as they visited with him before in-person meetings were done away with. There was certainly interest in the feisty slot option.

While you could allow Robinson to resume his role as an undersized outside cornerback, he can settle into a more natural slot role with this defense. That would allow for the outside cornerbacks to sort themselves out. His contract shouldn’t be huge either, further adding to his value as a free-agent target.