It was a busy day for the Pittsburgh Steelers on Wednesday, as Omar Khan made an unexpected roster move. This is the time of year when media members critique the remaining holes on the roster and suggest free agent moves to help the team improve before the summer.
Now Pittsburgh is down one player who was expected to be part of the plan in the secondary. The latest Steelers news involves the release of a defensive back as well as a great Pittsburgh representation on ESPN's top 100 best draft picks list.
Steelers news:
The big (and unexpected) Steelers news of the week is that cornerback Arthur Maulet has officially been released from the team. After almost having their 90-man roster finalized heading into OTAs, this move came as a surprise. Maulet was the primary slot cornerback for Pittsburgh in 2022, and even with the addition of Chandon Sullivan, it was expected that Maulet would stick around.
Maulet's release apparently came as the result of a disagreement over contract language. According to Cameron Wolfe of NFL Network, there was a difference of opinion and Maulet ultimately asked for his release from the team.
This leaves the Steelers with only one player who has extensive experience covering the slot: Sullivan. The former Minnesota Vikings cornerback played 886 snaps from the slot last season but was a liability in coverage. Pittsburgh could now look for outside help at slot cornerback.
More Steelers news:
Recently, Matt Miller of ESPN released his list of the top 100 best picks of the 2023 NFL Draft. With 32 teams and only 100 spots, the Pittsburgh Steelers were well represented -- boasting four players on the list.
Miller considered the value of the draft position and had CB Joey Porter Jr. as the 4th-best player this year. He also had OT Broderick Jones as his 13th-best pick in the draft, while TE Darnell Washington and CB Cory Trice Jr. ranked 26th and 37th on the list, respectively. This is just another example added to a long list of draft analysts who loved the value the Steelers were able to find in the draft this year.
NFL news:
In NFL news, the league posted a few 2023 schedule leaks ahead of the big schedule release tonight. There will be five international games played this year, but the Pittsburgh Steelers will not be one of the teams going overseas. The NFL will also host its first ever Black Friday game, in which the AFC East Dolphins and Bills will battle it out.
Meanwhile, the Giants and Eagles will play the primetime game on Christmas Eve this year and the Bengals vs Chiefs will own the prime New Year's Eve slot. The full 2023 Pittsburgh Steelers schedule will be released tonight by the Steelers social team at 8:00 p.m. Eastern Time. You can catch it on NFL Network and ESPN2, or steam it on NFL+.