With players reporting for Pittsburgh Steelers training camp on Wednesday, it’s safe to say that a lot of eyes will be on QB Kenny Pickett and his development from the 2022 NFL season. It’s a quarterback-driven league, and in order to contend for titles, you need to have a star quarterback.
However, for NFL.com’s Eric Edholm, he sees another challenge for the Steelers that the team needs to handle in 2023. In his piece on the biggest challenge for each team in 2023, Edholm highlighted Pittsburgh’s secondary as its primary challenge.
“First-team All-Pro safety Minkah Fitzpatrick (NFL-high six INTs) led a ball-hawking group last season,” Edholm wrote. “But the loss of CB Cameron Sutton in free agency stings. He likely will be replaced by Patrick Peterson, with second-round Joey Porter Jr. and Levi Wallace (four INTs last season) battling for reps on the other side… But the Steelers also have a battle at the non-Minkah safety spot between Keanu Neal and Damontae Kazee, who play two different styles… Again, it’s possible they’ll all have extensive roles in this defense, but sorting everything out could take some time.”
Sutton played the first six seasons of his career in Pittsburgh before departing in free agency this offseason to sign a three-year deal worth up to $33 million $22.5 million of that guaranteed, with the Detroit Lions. Sutton had eight interceptions and 38 passes broken up in eight seasons. In 2022 alone, he had three interceptions and 15 passes defended. He also had 168 total tackles, eight tackles for a loss, two sacks, and three quarterback hits.
There is no question that Sutton developed into a quality NFL cornerback in 2022. Our own Alex Kozora broke down the dilemma the Steelers faced when it came to re-signing Sutton this offseason. However, the two sides were unable to come to an agreement, opening up a larger void in the cornerback room.
Enter Peterson, Porter, and even Cory Trice Jr. While both Porter and Trice are rookies and will definitely take time to get comfortable with the speed of the pro game, Peterson is the exact opposite. He has 12 years of NFL experience and has proven to be an excellent cornerback whether it was in Arizona with the Cardinals or with the Minnesota Vikings. He has 34 career interceptions, 14 of them in the last six seasons while Sutton has been in the league. He had five interceptions alone last season, only one behind Fitzpatrick. He also has 111 career passes defended, 15 of them in 2022.
Peterson should capably be able to step in and help the secondary through the early transition at the cornerback position. The safety position, as Edholm showed, might be a little tougher to sort out. Gone is Terrell Edmunds, who spent the first five seasons of his career with Pittsburgh. He had five interceptions, 26 passes defended, 410 total tackles, 15 tackles for a loss, five sacks, and nine quarterback hits. As Kozora put it earlier this offseason, Edmunds “gets no respect” for being a solid safety. However, being solid does not make one irreplaceable or even a priority for re-signing.
So the Steelers look to Kazee, who was with the team in 2023 but missed eight games due to injury. He did record two interceptions in nine games last season, bringing his career total to 14. The fact that he was with the team in 2022 should help him not only see the field plenty in 2023 but simply help the secondary with communication and teamwork. Neal signed with Pittsburgh during the offseason, and as Edholm said, he plays a different style than Kazee.
In fact, Neal might be more of a direct, like-for-like replacement for Edmunds while Kazee offers more in coverage. While that does present some questions for defensive coordinator Teryl Austin, it also gives Austin additional help. If the Steelers want to play more coverage, Kazee can line up with Fitzpatrick. In run situations, Neal can come in. Plus, Austin can mix it up and perhaps call more three-safety looks with both Kazee and Neal on the field alongside Fitzpatrick.
However, all that takes time to come together, which is Edholm’s point. While Kazee has been with the team and Peterson has the veteran experience, there’s still work to be done in the Pittsburgh secondary. So while coverage of training camp will likely focus on the offense and Pickett in particular, the players responsible for covering opposing offenses need to come together quickly to hit the ground running Week One against the San Francisco 49ers.
