3 biggest offseason priorities for Pittsburgh Steelers
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Add a cornerback to complement a budding Joey Porter Jr.
The Steelers appear to have hit a home run in the 2023 NFL Draft by selecting Joey Porter Jr. out of Penn State in the second round. Porter Jr. had a very solid rookie season for the Steelers, as he started in 11 games and compiled 43 tackles, 10 deflections and an interception.
Porter Jr. appears to be a building block piece for Pittsburgh's defense moving forward, and now the Steelers are tasked with finding another solid cornerback to complement him in the secondary.
In a recent article for NFL.com, Kevin Patra listed finding a running mate for Porter Jr. as Pittsburgh's top task this offseason. Here's what he had to say:
"The rookie played sensational football down the stretch; now, the Steelers must find help on the opposite side. Patrick Peterson is turning 34 in July and wound up moving to safety by the end of the 2023 season. Levi Wallace, whom Porter replaced, is headed for free agency and will probably be allowed to walk. The Steelers have to get under the cap, starting with possibly cutting Peterson ($9.8 million cap hit in 2024), Allen Robinson ($11.9 million cap hit), Damontae Kazee ($3.9 million cap hit) and others. Once under, they should aggressively seek a veteran to pair opposite Porter."
While figuring out the quarterback situation seems slightly more important, solidying the secondary isn't far behind.