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 a 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: Will the Steelers take a closer look at CB Patrick Peterson in the slot in the preseason finale?
Though it’s been the subject of most conversations surrounding him since he signed with the Steelers, it doesn’t seem as though Patrick Peterson has gotten a great deal of work lining up outside of his normal outside cornerback position.
So many seem to expect that Peterson will essentially be the team’s slot defender in 2023, with Levi Wallace and rookie Joey Porter Jr. playing outside. Yet if that is the plan, they have not carried out many preparatory exercises for it in front of the public eye.
No doubt they are doing more of that work now, post-training camp, back at the UPMC Rooney Sports Complex. Players have hinted as much in their conversations with the media this week. But you might think you’d want to see a bit more of it in-game before the regular season.
Although he will eventually be in the Hall of Fame one day, Peterson has not built his legacy as a slot defender. It’s really something at which he hasn’t been tested extensively, so his ability to succeed there is something of a projection.
There are precedents for outside cornerbacks successfully moving either to a slot role or at safety and extending their careers accordingly. There is no reason to think that Peterson lacks the skill set, intelligence, physical attributes, or desire to see that through.
Still, it’s just something we’ve hardly seen at all in-game, getting just a glimpse of it last week on a third-and-long down. Yet we don’t know if head coach Mike Tomlin is going to play Peterson at all in the finale or if he will include him in the list of accomplished veteran starters who will get the night off.
