The Pittsburgh Steelers opened up the first day of free agency by losing CB Cameron Sutton and agreeing to a deal with CB Patrick Peterson to replace him. While Peterson is coming off a five-interception season with the Minnesota Vikings, there are concerns that his age may finally catch up to him and limit his impact. Ben Solak of The Ringer believes that Peterson is Pittsburgh’s X-factor this season, with Solak raising questions about the team’s secondary.
“I am very worried about this secondary, which swapped Cam Sutton and Terrell Edmunds for Patrick Peterson and Damontae Kazee. Peterson is 33 years old and struggled when left in space last season—between him, Joey Porter Jr., Levi Wallace, and Chandon Sullivan, the Steelers really don’t have a cornerback that I trust in man coverage. But Peterson was once that guy, and if he can stave off his aging cliff for one more season, the Steelers should have enough defensive pieces to field a top-10 unit,” Solak writes.
What Peterson may lack in speed or athleticism as he enters his age-33 season, he makes up for with his IQ. He’s a smart player, and that’s going to help give him an edge over a lot of receivers. While he might be at the end of his playing days, he was effective last season and should be a really nice piece in Pittsburgh’s secondary as a mentor and as one of its top cornerbacks.
Solak’s concerns about the secondary are founded. While I’m not really concerned about replacing Edmunds with the Damontae Kazee/Keanu Neal combination as the two of them can basically replicate or even improve upon Edmunds’ production, the loss of Sutton (who was named Detroit’s X-factor) hurts. But the Steelers have continued to add to the room, bringing in Desmond King II last week, and it’s been clear all offseason that Omar Khan won’t hesitate to improve a group if he thinks it can be upgraded.
But the strength of the secondary very well might come down to just how much Peterson still has left in the tank. Levi Wallace is a solid contributor, the type of guy who just puts his head down and does his job well without much fanfare. Joey Porter Jr. will see the field as a rookie, and his length could help him a lot in man coverage, knocking receivers off their routes. The room has some depth, especially with King added and having the versatility to play in the slot.
But Peterson was signed to be the team’s top corner and a potentially versatile piece who can move around the secondary if needed, and his success is going to be paramount to the success of the secondary. He’s a good choice to be the team’s X-factor.
