The Pittsburgh Steelers have made a move to address the slot cornerback position, signing former Minnesota Vikings cornerback Chandon Sullivan, per Ian Rapoport of NFL Media.
Sullivan, just 26 years old, also has experience with the Eagles and Packers. His best statistical season came in 2021 when he had three interceptions for the Packers. In five NFL seasons, he has 23 passes defended and five interceptions.
An undrafted free agent out of Georgia State, Sullivan played five games for the Eagles in 2018. He spent the following three seasons with the Packers, and 2022 was his only season in Minnesota. While he was a special-teams contributor early in his career, he hasn’t played much there in recent seasons. I wouldn’t expect him to have a role on special teams in Pittsburgh. Last year, he had a 55.8 overall grade by PFF, including a 53.2 grade in coverage, numbers that hopefully he will improve upon in Pittsburgh.
Sullivan is a name that AJ Alany mentioned as a potential addition this offseason as a veteran slot corner. Without a fifth- or sixth-round pick, it was going to be tough for the Steelers to get a slot corner. Potential options that included Tre’Vius Tomlinson and Kei’Trel Clark among were selected in that range. It also just makes sense to get a proven veteran who has shown he can play in the NFL to compete for the slot job. Salary details have yet to be released, but it would be surprising if Sullivan got more than a one-year veteran benefit contract.
With the Steelers signing Patrick Peterson and drafting Joey Porter Jr. in addition to having Levi Wallace on the roster, they’re pretty set with outside cornerbacks. But as it stands, Arthur Maulet is their best option to play the slot. Now, with Sullivan in the fold, the Steelers’ cornerback room should be stronger. If nothing else, it provides some competition to play in the slot. With two draft picks left in the seventh round, the Steelers could still look to add someone else to compete with Maulet and Sullivan for the slot corner job. We’ll see how the rest of the day shakes out.
