The good news is that it’s only practice. When Patrick Peterson steps onto the field for the Pittsburgh Steelers in a game that matters, he’ll be tormenting the opposing quarterback instead of his own. On the latest episode of the All Things Covered podcast hosted by Peterson and Bryant McFadden, Peterson discussed the versatility he’s shown this year that’s already having success against his own team.
Peterson told McFadden Kenny Pickett has given him a stamp of approval for showing what he can do defensively.
“He gave me the approval and said, ‘when you line up at a certain position, that fucks me up,'” Peterson said.
That moment of honesty shouldn’t be seen as a demerit against Pickett but a hint at what the Steelers have in store for Peterson. An outside corner most of his career, he’s been talking about moving around Pittsburgh’s system since virtually the day he signed his two-year deal with the team. Peterson, though, didn’t disclose exactly where he was lining up that drew those comments from Pickett.
For most of the conversation, Peterson played coy about exactly how he’s been used but said he might have a similar role in 2023 as Cam Sutton had the past two seasons. Sutton replaced Steven Nelson as an outside corner in 2021 and 2022 but moved all around the defense, bumping inside to the slot, acting as the dime defender, and was part of post-snap rotations to give quarterbacks different looks.
Regardless of where’s he’s aligned, Peterson’s goals remain the same.
“I plan on making a lot of plays this year.”
Peterson has 34 career interceptions with five of those coming last season in Minnesota. It’s the most he’s had in a single year since his sophomore season all the way back in 2012.
Being able to move around and become a defensive chess piece has the potential of adding additional stress on offenses, who have to account for floating players like him. With Peterson’s experience and high football IQ, moving him to the slot or other places on the field could create chances for him to bait the quarterback and jump routes while hiding any speed lost in his age-33 season.
If anything, it’s good for Pickett to see this kind of stuff now, making him better and more prepared when he faces creative looks and moving pieces that have become common in the NFL. The Steelers are far from the only team to do this kind of stuff.
Once training camp begins late next month, we’ll be able to get eyes on exactly how Peterson is being employed. Once the Steelers start playing games, we’ll chart the defense weekly and be able to quantify how much he’s moving around the field. But as he’s done all offseason, Peterson has teased that he’ll be much more than an outside cornerback this season.
“I had my three weeks here. Trying to learn my way. Learning a new position. Moving all over the field. Learning what I need to do.”
Catch the whole conversation between McFadden and Peterson below.
