Steelers Biggest Turkeys: 4 players I'm not thankful for in 2023
- Chandon Sullivan doesn't deserve to sit at the table
- Chukwuma Okorafor doesn't get the job done at all
- Levi Wallace continues to make fans suffer
- Kenny Pickett has the worst long-term outlook for this team
By Andrew Falce
Steelers Biggest Turkey #2: Levi Wallace
The Steelers inked Levi Wallace to a small deal an offseason ago in the hopes of adding a steady veteran to the backfield. He held up his end of the bargain in year one. While not the flashiest player, he was a viable starter and had a career season with the team. The hope was for similar play this season until Joey Porter was ready to take over.
Thankfully, Porter has been ready to see the field sooner than later, as Wallace has been a disaster as a starting cornerback this season. He has been the culprit of the majority of coverage lapses, and he went from a dependable starter to someone who is getting picked on every week. Never known for his speed, he usually made up for it with sound technique and anticipation. That hasn’t been the case this season.
Even in a reduced role, Wallace is still finding ways to hurt this defense. As was evident against the Packers, one of the first games since his demotion in favor of Porter, Wallace allowed both of the passing touchdowns. He went from an above-average defender a season ago to looking lost this season.
While Wallace is a free agent after this season and will more than likely be allowed to leave, his detrimental play this season has been hard to suffer through. The defense as a whole has been a letdown, but Wallace has been one of the biggest disappointments. Expectations were never extremely high, but he has been nothing but a liability so far this season.