When it comes to the battle for the slot cornerback position, S Elijah Riley has certainly turned heads this training camp.
The former cornerback coming out of Army has primarily played safety during his time in the NFL, but he’s looked good at the nickel in training camp as well as in Pittsburgh’s first two preseason games. Riley has shown physicality as a tackler in run support as well as awareness in coverage, picking off a pass last Saturday against the Buffalo Bills off a tip by LB Cole Holcomb.
When asked about Riley’s play and development this preseason, HC Mike Tomlin mentioned that Riley isn’t new to Pittsburgh and his efforts in the shadows are starting to pay dividends under the lights.
“I think he’s showing that he has been here and that’s a reasonable expectation,” Tomlin said to the media Monday via video from Steelers.com. “A guy that’s familiar with our environment and familiar with our schematics and so forth and he could focus his energies on just the play, or the quality of the play. And he has taken a significant step in terms of productivity in-stadium on defense and in [special] teams and good for him, good for us.”
Riley has certainly made his case not only for the 53-man roster, but also for the starting slot cornerback position this summer. Coming to Pittsburgh after time with the Jets and Eagles, he had to cut his teeth on special teams before getting playing time on defense, only seeing 20 defensive snaps. However, he’s shaping up to have a far bigger impact than that as a defender as well as core special teamer, having made an impact there already this preseason.
The Steelers have both Riley and CB Chandon Sullivan competing for the slot cornerback job. However, with both coming off strong performances, DC Teryl Austin mentioned that both Riley and Sullivan have a chance to make the roster since they have different skill sets and contribute in other areas. However, as things stand today, Riley’s play has been better thus far during the summer as he should get the nod over Sullivan as Pittsburgh’s early-down nickel defender in the slot.
