When the Pittsburgh Steelers signed veteran cornerback Patrick Peterson to a two-year deal in free agency, the move raised some eyebrows in both a positive and negative way.
The positive aspect was that the Steelers were getting a big-name cornerback with a ton of experience who could be a strong veteran presence for a rebuilt room right away, filling the void left by the loss of Cameron Sutton in free agency to the Detroit Lions.
The negative aspect had to do with his fit on the field at age 32 and coming out of a system in Minnesota where he played in a zone-heavy scheme. In Pittsburgh, Peterson steps into a man-heavy scheme, which could be a detriment to his game overall.
Pro Football Focus’ Brad Spielberger continues to have questions about Peterson’s fit on the Steelers. Appearing on the 93.7 The Fan morning show Tuesday, Spielberger stated that he believes Peterson’s best bet in Pittsburgh might be to play some safety next to Minkah Fitzpatrick. He added that in the end he’ll “trust” the Steelers’ evaluation of Peterson at cornerback ahead of the 2023 season, especially if Peterson plays in the slot some for the Black and Gold.
“I don’t hate it. It would be new, it would be different. It was an interesting signing for a couple of reasons, namely just going from basically a zone-heavy defense under Ed Donatell last year, to probably a more man-to-man responsibilities and things he did in Arizona,” Spielberger said, according to audio via 93.7 The Fan. “He’s not a bad lateral athlete, but it probably makes more sense for him to play outside or almost playing some safety opposite Minkah Fitzpatrick.
“I’ll trust them and what they want to figure out what they want to do, but it is interesting to hear him playing in the slot as an interesting possibility.”
Peterson has hinted all offseason on his “All Things Covered” podcast with cousin and former Steelers cornerback Bryant McFadden that he’s going to move around quite a bit for the Steelers defensively. Initially, that seemed like a bit of a stretch for a cornerback who is on the wrong side of 30 — Peterson turns 33 next month – and played some of his best ball in zone coverage.
But early returns from OTAs and minicamp have Peterson moving all over the Steelers defense in the secondary, giving offenses new looks.
Peterson played coy about exactly how he’s been used but said he might have a similar role in 2023 as 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.
Being able to move around and become a defensive chess piece has the potential of adding additional stress on offenses, which 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.
Playing him in the slot in 2023 could allow him to be in a bit more of a situational role, and hopefully allow the Steelers to get value out of him for both years of the contract they signed him to.
When Peterson came into the league, he was known as a burner. But as often happens as players move through their careers, he has adapted. While his speed isn’t quite at the 4.31 40-yard dash level that it was at the 2011 NFL Combine anymore, his play recognition has become elite, a key trait in a slot corner. Combine that IQ with his above-average size, and it’s certainly reasonable to see him succeeding as a slot corner this year. The Steelers seem to at least want to try it out, as he’s seen reps there early in OTAs.
While Peterson may not be everyone’s ideal fit for the slot corner position, what other options do the Steelers have? 98% of the slot snaps last season were played by Sutton and Arthur Maulet. Maulet wasn’t a reliable option in the passing game, giving up a 116.1 QBR last year when targeted, and he was released last month. With solid depth on the outside led by Joey Porter Jr., Levi Wallace, Cory Trice Jr. and James Pierre, there’s seemingly not a huge need for Peterson to be on the outside.
At this point, it’ wait and see for what, exactly, the Steelers are going to do at the position with Peterson. There’s a lot of trust needed to be placed in the evaluation and the plan overall though. The Steelers have to get it right for the signing to pay off, especially after losing Sutton.
