The Steelers are now in their offseason after failing to reach the playoffs in 2022, coming up just a game short of sneaking in as the seventh seed. They needed help in week 18 and only got some of it, so instead they sat home and watched the playoffs with the rest of us.
On tap is figuring out how to be on the field in January and February instead of being a spectator. They started out 2-6, digging a hole that proved too deep to dig out of even if they managed to go 7-2 in the second half of the year.
Starting from the end of the regular season and leading all the way up to the beginning of the 2023 season, there are plenty of questions that need answered, starting with who will be the offensive coordinator. Which free agents will be kept? Who might be let go due to their salary? How might they tackle free agency with this new front office? We’ll try to frame the conversation in relevant ways as long as you stick with us throughout this offseason, as we have for many years.
Question: How much concern should there be about the slot cornerback position?
Unless the Steelers plan to play safety Minkah Fitzpatrick there a good bit this year, then whoever is manning the inside most often for the defense this year is going to be someone with little to no experience in the system.
They do not have a cornerback on the roster who has played in the slot regularly at a high level. The most notable player that they have in that capacity is Chandon Sullivan, whom they signed during the draft, but their Plan A seems to be playing Patrick Peterson there after a dozen years on the outside.
Given the lack of proven commodities in the slot, it raises the question of how much concern there should be about the position going into training camp. It’s entirely possible that a future Hall of Famer like Peterson will transition very well into the slot role and take it on full-time, but we really won’t know that until we see it.
And assuming that is the case, do the Steelers have enough depth, insulation, behind him? For one thing, if Peterson is in the slot, somebody else has to be outside. That means James Pierre, Joey Porter Jr., or Cory Trice Jr. will have to be ready to step up in a big role within the defense.
And if Peterson were to get injured, do they have enough they can rely on to absorb those snaps? Sullivan is experienced, granted, with nearly 3,000 defensive snaps to his name, but how much of a high-level player is he? Should the Steelers still be looking to add somebody to the roster who can play the slot and compete for the primary role?
