The Steelers are now in Latrobe at Saint Vincent College for the 2023 installment of training camp. They are coming off of a 9-8 season during which they broke in their new quarterback, Kenny Pickett, finishing the year strong by winning seven of their last nine but coming up short of the postseason.
They’ve done a great deal to address what they identified as their shortcomings during the offseason, which included addressing the offensive and defensive lines as well as the secondary and the inside linebacker room, which is nearly entirely different from last year.
From the first day of training camp to the last, there are going to be plenty of questions that need answered, including several battles for starting roles. Which veterans might be vulnerable to release? Who are the sleepers who will emerge in camp and make a run at ta roster spot? We’ll try to frame the conversation in relevant ways as long as you stick with us throughout the season, as we have for many years.
Question: Who will make the cut in the Steelers’ slot roulette?
The general assumption at this point is that Patrick Peterson will end up playing the majority of the snaps in the slot for the Steelers this year. But a team can’t just have one slot defender. They need more than that, not just for depth, but for defending four- and five-wide looks.
Chandon Sullivan is their most veteran option, but the Steelers have been spinning the roulette wheel throughout the first few days of training camp to try to get a feel for what their options are. Duke Dawson got first dibs, but others such as Elijah Riley have gotten their shot as well. Tre Norwood has played there before in this defense.
Many have assumed that Sullivan would be a name near the top of the list given that they signed him during the 2023 NFL Draft and shortly after released Arthur Maulet. Maulet, however, requested his release, and the signing of Sullivan was probably a proactive response to that. And he didn’t exactly sign a huge contract. Just a veteran salary benefit deal.
Dawson and Norwood both have meaningful NFL experience, and Norwood has a couple of years in this system already. Even if we assume that Peterson does take the majority of the slot snaps, Norwood could take on much of the rest.
The Steelers are not opposed to playing mix-and-match at the start of the season until they figure out which combinations work best. That’s what they did in 2021 after they lost Mike Hilton in free agency and let Steven Nelson go.
It’s possible that we don’t have the final answer to this question until at least a few weeks into the season. We don’t even know how many candidates there will be, as they do have a good number of outside-only cornerbacks that they may like to carry on the roster.
