The surprising release of veteran slot cornerback Arthur Maulet earlier in the week, reportedly over a contract dispute, created a sizable hole on the Pittsburgh Steelers’ roster.
Despite the uncertainty at the position after losing Maulet on top of veteran Cameron Sutton in free agency, taking away 98% of the snaps played in the slot last season, Steelers head coach Mike Tomlin stated to reporters Saturday after Day 2 of the Steelers’ rookie minicamp that the team is “comfortable” with the options available on the roster currently.
“We’re comfortable with the collective that we have in that space,” Tomlin said to reporters Saturday from the Steelers’ South Side practice facility, according to audio via 93.7 The Fan.
His comments echo those made by Steelers GM Omar Khan on 93.7 The Fan earlier in the week. During a segment on the PM Show with Andrew Filliponi and Chris Mueller, Khan highlighted recent free agent signee Chandon Sullivan and veteran Duke Dawson as options in the slot.
Even before news of Maulet’s impending release, there was a justifiable concern over slot cornerback. With Maulet gone, there’s a worry over Pittsburgh’s plan for a run-downs corner and a pass-downs one. Ideally, you find someone who can do both, Mike Hilton was that man, but there’s no one on the roster who can do that right now.
Sullivan, like Damontae Kazee in 2022, was signed on Day Three of the NFL Draft. A veteran corner with plenty of slot experience, he’s started 31 career games, including 10 last season for the Minnesota Vikings. There, he recorded 60 tackles and broke up seven passes though the analytics weren’t kind, grading him out as one of the NFL’s worst slot corners.
Dawson is a more surprising name to include though he comes with slot experience and pedigree. A former second-round pick of the New England Patriots, he never took a snap for the team and last saw the field in 2020 for the Denver Broncos. He’s appeared in 26 games, starting four, and registering 27 tackles.
Pittsburgh’s slot corner is a muddy situation and Khan said they’ll allow competition to dictate who gets first crack at that spot. Khan didn’t seem to rule anyone out, mentioning that Tomlin and Patrick Peterson have had conversations about moving him around this season, something Peterson has mentioned multiple times since signing in March.
The Steelers do have some options with plenty of experience, but those options don’t provide as much comfort externally as the Steelers seem to be projecting internally.
