Today I’m starting a new series with 2023 training camp underway. The goal of these articles is to take news we are hearing, be it a quality practice, where players are lining up, etc., and using that as a launching board to learn more about our 2023 Pittsburgh Steelers. One caveat before I dive in: We, of course, do not want to make huge proclamations in the short-term and instead want to see how the entirety of camp unfolds.
One thing that stood out from the first day of training camp was Pittsburgh cornerback Duke Dawson getting the first reps in the slot, which was surprising to many even though it is a position that is up for grabs and a big question mark for the Steelers in 2023. Let’s learn more about Dawson.
NFL Bio
Did not play as a rookie with the Patriots in 2018. Sustained a hamstring injury early and was inactive the remainder of the season after recovering. He was traded to the Broncos prior to the 2019 regular season, playing in 10 games and playing the most total snaps of his career by far (343). Dawson also played in 10 games in 2020, but more sparingly with 69 total snaps and suffered a torn ACL in Week 14. He went on reserve/PUP to start 2021 and was moved to the practice squad once healthy. The Panthers signed Dawson prior to the 2022 regular season, but he quickly landed on injured reserve and was waived shortly after that. Pittsburgh then signed him to their practice squad early in the 2022 regular season.
Dawson has not appeared in a regular-season NFL game the last two seasons. He has played only 412 total defensive snaps since entering the league five years ago as a second-round pick and has been plagued by injuries.
While it was a long time ago, I wanted to see if there was anything of value to learn regarding Dawson’s 2019 season, the only year when he had substantial opportunity. I looked at several data points courtesy of Pro Football Focus (PFF), and many aspects of his play weren’t anything to write home about. If you’ve read my work though, you know I love to look at and provide context, so here’s some numbers on Dawson, and how that ranked among cornerbacks with a minimum of 300 snaps (122 qualifiers): 61.3 defensive grade (72nd), 55.4 tackling grade (T-71st), 46.4 pass rush grade (T-second worst), 56.7 coverage grade (88th), 18 solo tackles (119th), 16.7 percent missed-tackle rate (T-96th), seven stops (T-102nd), 18 targets (121st), 77.8 reception rate allowed (115th), one touchdown allowed, one pass breakup, and five penalties.
There was one aspect in 2019 that stood out positively:
Dawson had an 81.6 run block grade that ranked solidly at seventh among cornerbacks with 300-plus snaps in 2019 and was one of only nine players to eclipse an 80-plus grade. He also had an 83.2 run block grade in 2020, though it came in much less opportunity, along with a stronger tackling grade of 80.2. So, while his time in the NFL is limited, the data helps me highlight what Pittsburgh is likely trying to find out: Can Dawson possibly fill an early/run down slot cornerback role, overcoming his bad injury luck, and possibly filling a hole that unexpectedly opened up with the release of Arthur Maulet in May?
Speaking of Maulet, his play as a run defender definitely fell off last season (58.9), but found something I thought was very interesting when looking at 2021:
Maulet ironically also ranked seventh in run blocking grade in 2021, coming in at an even more solid 84, and was one of only eight players above an 80 grade. Pretty interesting correlation between Maulet and Dawson, and likely a big factor in Pittsburgh wanting to add the latter to the practice squad last season.
There are obviously several candidates to fill the slot cornerback role for Pittsburgh in 2023, including Patrick Peterson, Chandon Sullivan, Elijah Riley, and Tre Norwood. All got time there on the first day of training camp. As noted at the beginning of the article, the goal today was not to make any major proclamations, and hope you enjoyed learning more about Dawson, and the outlook of what he could possibly provide if things play out well for him the rest of training camp. One thing’s for sure, I can’t wait to see how the slot cornerback position plays out for the Steelers in 2023.
Thanks for reading and let me know your thoughts in the comments.
