3 Steelers players winning their positional battles so far in training camp

2. Elijah Riley is winning the Steelers slot CB battle

Perhaps the biggest unanswered question the Pittsburgh Steelers have on their entire roster is: who will be the starting slot cornerback in 2023? The team is still flirting with the idea of throwing Patrick Peterson in the slot from time to time, but they are going to need a player who can be their nickel CB in all situations.

Right now, it appears that Elijah Riley is winning that job. Over the first several weeks of Steelers training camp, starting slot cornerback reps have been split between players like Riley, Duke Dawson, and Chandon Sullivan. Dawson was recently injured near the end of Pittsburgh's preseason opener and we don't currently have a timetable for his return.

Of the group, Riley has been the most impressive so far. The former safety is trying to carve out a niche in the secondary, and that may very well come at slot cornerback. During the pre-season opener, Riley made some really nice plays (including an awesome special teams tackle). His play-making ability is clearly catching the attention of the coaching staff.

I'm not yet ready to write Riley's name in ink at the top of the Steelers slot CB depth chart, but he's well on his way to earning this role. Dawson was having a good game against the Buccaneers before getting injured, but Sullivan was not. Riley just feels like the player controlling this positional battle at this time.