Come on down and step right up. Spin the wheel and hope for a big prize. Because you’re playing Pittsburgh Steelers’ slot corner roulette.
Who will the dial land on? No idea. There’s a lot of options here.
After losing Cam Sutton to free agency and releasing Arthur Maulet after he reportedly asked for it, it was obvious the Steelers would have to do some searching to find their next slot corner. Different names have been floated throughout the offseason and true to their word, Pittsburgh hasn’t been shy about rolling through their options.
Through just two days of training camp, five players have received slot corner reps. In no order, they are:
1. Patrick Peterson
2. Elijah Riley
3. Chandon Sullivan
4. Duke Dawson
5. Tre Norwood
And there’s been no real leaderboard or pecking order. Dawson saw first-team reps on Thursday. Friday, it was Sullivan’s turn. Peterson has kicked inside in more third down and situational moments while Riley and Norwood have filtered in.
It’s too early to tell who is “winning” the battle. Riley has the first and only interception of camp while Sullivan has the most experience in the slot, giving him a leg up. But Dawson has pedigree and Norwood is entering his third year with the team with plus-coverage skills. Tackling is his worry.
Though the team is far off from determining an actual division of labor, I can take a guess. Peterson won’t be the full-time guy but he’s likely to bump inside on third and long and two-minute situations. That’ll allow Joey Porter Jr. to take the field, which has happened over the first two days of camp. Think of Cam Sutton playing on the outside in base and moving to the slot in some nickel and dime packages. Peterson will wear that hat.
With that assumed, Pittsburgh will need to figure out their run-down corner duties, the role Maulet held the past two seasons. Who that will be is harder to guess. Riley is a bigger body who on paper looks good in that run-down nickel role with duties similar to a linebacker. He’s a safety/slot hybrid who played sparingly a year ago. Dawson was praised for his run defense coming out of Florida, making him an option. Norwood would not be a choice here due to his slighter frame and inconsistent tackling technique, struggling to come to balance and wrap up.
It’s doubtful Pittsburgh will have just one slot corner this season like they did in the Mike Hilton era. Like 2021 and 2022, it should be a division of labor with Peterson the pass down slot (who could also rotate and play some safety, like Sutton) and someone else on early downs. With so many options and reps more divided, this position group probably won’t be finalized until the end of August. Unlike a carnival game, the prize isn’t a big teddy bear. It’s a chance for serious playing time and to help the Steelers’ defense be a strong unit in 2023.
