The Pittsburgh Steelers will more than likely draft another cornerback this year and while that ultimately might be the case, general manager Kevin Colbert isn’t ready to say what round they’ll address position.
“We can’t say we’ll take a cornerback first, second or third,” Colbert said Sunday in Boca Raton, Florida ahead of the league’s annual meeting, according to Gerry Dulac of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. “But there are enough that we should be able to get one.”
Dulac goes on to report that Colbert said he and head coach Mike Tomlin have both “been tracking” the top cornerbacks in this year’s draft class so far this offseason and that includes them attending their respective pro days. With that said, Colbert indicated that they will be at the Houston pro day this coming week to watch cornerback William Jackson III go through his workout. Jackson, who measured in at the 2016 NFL Scouting Combine at 6003, 189-pounds, registered 5 interceptions and 23 defensed passes last season, according to ESPN.com.
While the Steelers still have cornerback Cortez Allen on their roster, Dulac reports that Colbert said the organization is still “non-committal” on his future with the team.
“We’re still trying to determine where he is from a health standpoint,” Colbert said, according to Dulac. “Right now, he’s still part of the plan.”
Allen, who has missed a lot of the last two seasons due to a knee injury, is currently scheduled to earn $4.4 million in 2016. While there was some talk that he might be asked to take a pay-cut this offseason, there haven’t been any reports as of yet that one has actually taken place.
Should the Steelers ultimately decide to part ways with Allen after June 1, they will save $4.4 million in salary cap space. However, such a move would result in a dead money charge of $2.7 million in 2017. The fact that the Steelers haven’t parted with Allen yet is a good sign that he’ll be allowed to compete for a starting job this year in training camp if he’s healthy enough to do so.
