3 free agent cornerbacks Steelers should still target to pair with Patrick Peterson
By Tommy Jaggi
It's been a wild start to the 2023 free agency period. Less than two hours into the afternoon on March 13th when the legal tampering period began, we learned that the Pittsburgh Steelers were losing cornerback Cameron Sutton to the Detroit Lions. However, it didn't take long for the front office to find a replacement in Patrick Peterson -- a player the team reportedly had an interest in signing last offseason.
Peterson is coming off a very respectable season in which he earned 5 interceptions and graded out well in zone coverage while starting all 17 games. However, the former All-Pro turns 33 years old this summer -- driving the mean age of the cornerback corps up to nearly 29 years old.
It's clear that Pittsburgh doesn't have a building block at the position, and while we fully expect them to get one early in the NFL Draft, they could still look for an upgrade over players like Ahkello Witherspoon, Levi Wallace, and Arthur Maulet. Here are three players they could still potentially pair with Patrick Peterson at cornerback.
Steelers must target Sean Murphy-Bunting
Sean Murphy-Bunting was a toolsy prospect coming out of Central Michigan back in the 2019 NFL Draft. Though he has been a little up and down at times, Murphy-Bunting has proven to be a good player for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers on his first NFL contract.
This past season, he earned a grade slightly above Cameron Sutton's, according to Pro Football Focus. Unfortunately, injuries have been an issue early in his career, and he has played just 21 of a possible 34 games over the past two seasons.
The good news is that Murphy-Bunting is still just 25 years old with his best years ahead of him. He also offers more speed, size, and length for the Steelers in the secondary -- something they have desperately been lacking.