While most of the starting lineup for the Pittsburgh Steelers is cut-and-dry on both sides of the football, slot cornerback is one position that is still up in the air. It looks as if the Steelers plan to run a committee approach at the nickel, having the likes of S Elijah Riley and CB Chandon Sullivan be more true nickel options while CB Patrick Peterson kicks inside to the slot on passing downs with CBs Joey Porter Jr. and Levi Wallace playing on the outside.
For a while, it has seemed as if the battle for Pittsburgh’s true slot job has been between Riley and Sullivan with the two getting heavy reps there during training camp practice. Sullivan is the veteran that has ample starting experience in the slot for the Packers and Vikings prior to landing in Pittsburgh but hadn’t really stood out heading into Pittsburgh’s game against the Buffalo Bills. Riley, on the other hand, has flashed in practice, picking off passes while having a couple nice reps in Pittsburgh’s first preseason game against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.
We previously listed Sullivan as a player that needed to have a bounce back game against Buffalo to keep the slot cornerback battle interesting with Riley, and that is just what Sullivan did. Sullivan recorded an interception last night against the Bills, tipping a pass in the air, and came down with it to secure the turnover. Meanwhile, Riley had himself a strong outing as well, recording four total tackles as he picked off a pass himself off a tip by LB Cole Holcomb in the end zone for a touchback.
Both Sullivan and Riley made splash plays against the Bills, standing out in a good way as the Steelers finished the night with three INTs. While Riley may be making a case to be the team’s first option as the nickel corner, Sullivan also is making his case. This could present Pittsburgh with the scenario of keeping both Sullivan and Riley, diversifying the skill set of the players they have in the slot with Riley being better in run support and tackling while Sullivan is the more experienced coverage defender.
Pittsburgh has three capable cornerbacks on the outside in Peterson, Porter, and Wallace, making CB James Pierre potentially expendable as both Riley and Sullivan can contribute on special teams. The Steelers could also decide to keep the two slot corners and part ways with camp darling S Kenny Robinson who has made plays during his time in Latrobe but doesn’t possess the versatile skill set to play multiple spots like Riley does at safety and in the slot.
Given the fact that Pittsburgh will likely mix-and-match at the slot cornerback position for most of the season, keeping both Riley and Sullivan makes sense, that way if one were to go down, Pittsburgh would be able to deploy the other without forcing Peterson to kick inside to be every down nickel. We still have one preseason game to go, but after last night, the odds of Sullivan and Riley both making the 53-man roster looks more likely.
