Steelers HC Mike Tomlin can't say enough about new CB Patrick Peterson

If there's something Mike Tomlin isn't very good at doing, it's hiding his interest in certain players outside of the organization. This past season at the trade deadline, nobody should have been surprised when the Pittsburgh Steelers traded for CB William Jackson III, as this has been a player Tomlin has had his eye on since coming into the league in 2016.

At the start of the 2023 free agency period, many fans were shocked when the Steelers signed veteran cornerback, Patrick Peterson. However, when we take a moment to examine this decision, the love interest from Tomlin has been there all along.

Recently, former Steelers offensive tackle, Max Starks, had a chance to catch up with Tomlin and talk to him about many of his team's recent offseason moves. When it came time to talk about Patrick Peterson, Pittsburgh's head coach couldn't find enough good things to say. You can watch the full interview on the official Pittsburgh Steelers YouTube channel.

""I just love Pat 'P'. First of all I admire his talents... I've always been appreciative of his love and passion for the game, and his football character is continually on display in everything that he does. I'm as attracted to him for those reasons as I am his resume and physical talents. "

- Mike Tomlin

Tomlin has clearly been infatuated with Peterson's talent and football demeanor for some time now. Entering year 13, the former All-Pro cornerback finally gets a chance to show what he can do on the Pittsburgh Steelers. But what sort of expectations should we have for him?

Steelers fans shouldn't get their hopes too high for Patrick Peterson

As much as Mike Tomlin seems to endorse this decision, we need to be careful not to set the bar too high when it comes to expectations for Patrick Peterson. It's important to consider that Peterson's two-year, $14 million deal is really CB2 money, and the Steelers knew this when they signed him.

There have been a number of studies done on the shelf-life age of each NFL position, and cornerbacks typically fall off a cliff in terms of the efficiency and the quality of their play at age 32. Meanwhile, Peterson turns 33 years old this summer and could be operating on borrowed time.

Last year, Peterson graded out as one of the worst cornerbacks in the league in man coverage but had an elite grade when playing in zone. Interestingly, Pittsburgh played the fifth-most man coverage in the NFL last year.

I have little doubt that Peterson will be a step above Levi Wallace, but it remains to be seen whether or not he will offer as much value to the team as Cameron Sutton did last season. Peterson won't be as scheme and position diverse, but he did add 5 interceptions in 17 games with the Vikings last season, and his ball skills will be a plus.

Overall, I don't think anyone should be upset with the addition of Patrick Peterson, but I wouldn't let Mike Tomlin's praise for him distract you from the evidence when it comes to aging cornerbacks. The Pittsburgh Steelers aren't getting a star at this point in his career, and if they can get respectable CB2 play out of the aging veteran, that's about all we can ask for at this point.