The biggest unknown remaining with the Pittsburgh Steelers is at slot cornerback, where it seems to be a three-man race between Chandon Sullivan, Duke Dawson and Elijah Riley for the job at the moment. While there’s always the possibility of Patrick Peterson shifting inside and taking some reps in the slot, of that group there’s one name that I like better than the rest, and it’s Riley.
At this point, Riley’s blocked on the safety depth chart by Minkah Fitzpatrick, Damontae Kazee, Keanu Neal, and probably Tre Norwood and Miles Killebrew, as well. So his path to a roster spot is going to come through winning the competition to start in the slot.
Riley isn’t any sort of flawless option. In fact, the odds of him winning the job are probably pretty slim. He isn’t all that fast and he’s only logged two snaps in the slot, both coming in 2020 with the Philadelphia Eagles. So right off the bat, he’s at a disadvantage against someone like Sullivan, who’s basically spent his entire career in the slot.
But outside of his somewhat lackluster speed, the traits are intriguing. The Steelers are going to play bully ball this year, and Riley can be the type of slot corner who gets his hands on guys early and jams at the line of scrimmage. He’s a physical player who flashed on special teams last year and had a season-high five tackles in a Week 6 win against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. He’s a solid tackler, and can make a difference in the run game as well with his tackling ability.
He also has ball skills, with seven interceptions and 21 pass breakups during his time with Army. He also logged 6.5 sacks, including four in his senior season with the Black Knights. The Steelers can utilize Riley in a blitzing role in the slot, similar to what they did with Mike Hilton during his tenure with the Steelers.
None of the current slot options are all that exciting. But when looking at the totality of how Pittsburgh is looking to play next year, bringing in physical corners in the draft in Joey Porter Jr. and Cory Trice Jr., Riley offers the most upside in terms of how he can be used.
Riley just hasn’t really got his chance as a corner, despite that being his primary position in college. He’s made an impact on special teams but wasn’t great as a safety with the Jets in 2021, so maybe it’s time to give him a shot at corner. We know he’s getting a look at the slot with Pittsburgh, and training camp could be supremely important for him because he’s facing an uphill battle to beat out Sullivan and Dawson.
But if he does, I’d be excited to see how it works out. Of the options currently on the roster, Riley’s competitiveness, tackling ability and ball skills give me the most hope that he could turn out to be something in the slot. One thing’s for certain though, and it’s that the slot competition is going to be one to keep an eye on throughout camp.
