For as much focus as we’ve placed on the Pittsburgh Steelers’ need at wide receiver, one that’s real and must be addressed, there needs to be as much a conversation about slot corner. Pittsburgh’s thinner there than anywhere else, including wideout, and has done little to replace the departed Chandon Sullivan and the released Patrick Peterson.
Exiting rookie minicamp, the Steelers signed veteran cornerback Anthony Averett to their roster. Surely he is a worthy candidate, right? Maybe not. While he does have a little slot experience and a size profile that could earn him a look inside, Averett has primarily been an outside corner throughout his career. In Ross McCorkle’s film room, he explained why Averett doesn’t have the experience or the skill set to kick inside.
“Averett really struggles as a tackler. He isn’t very willing to throw his body in the pile, and he is prone to missing tackles due to poor angles or bad technique. There is a reason that an outside corner only has one tackle for loss, and he just doesn’t have that quick trigger or instinct to come downhill to make the physical plays.
Defenders should ideally always be swarming to the ball to cover as many options as possible, but Averett tends to shy away from the pile. Other than his lack of experience in the slot, this is the biggest reason why I don’t think he is a slot option.”
Will Pittsburgh try him there? Probably. At least a little. They opened camp with Duke Dawson as their starting slot corner last year so they’re a team willing to spin through a Rolodex of names. But little suggests Averett is the answer inside.
Who is?
That’s a difficult question to answer. The two in-house candidates are Beanie Bishop Jr. and Josiah Scott. Bishop is a popular name and the most talented undrafted free agent the team signed after April’s draft. A 2023 All-American at West Virginia, he should be given plenty of reps in the summer. Scott is a prospect Josh Carney has written about, bringing NFL experience from his time with the Philadelphia Eagles. In 2022, he logged over 300 snaps in the nickel, recording 28 total tackles and a pair of picks. Maybe he’s the favorite. But it’s still a corner who barely sniffed the field a season ago and doesn’t feel like a great option.
Other internal candidates are more of a projection. Thomas Graham could see some time but has less than 150 career defensive snaps and has played more outside corner than slot. Speedster Kalon Barnes has been an outside guy in preseason action and probably isn’t built for the slot.
At some point, the team has to bring in another veteran. Probably an ex-Steeler. It could be Patrick Peterson, though his most recent interview made it sound like his time in Pittsburgh was over. It could be Cam Sutton if his legal situation clears up, though an NFL suspension still looms. But the Steelers shouldn’t go into camp with Scott and Bishop as their top, and really their only, two options. Those guys can and should compete but there needs to be some other veteran presence to round out the group.
