Patrick Peterson has been a cornerback throughout his long and Hall of Fame bound career. Until he became a safety. Not by choice but out of necessity. Like an inventor who stumbled into his next great idea, Peterson earned his first start at the position after the team was decimated by injuries. Minkah Fitzpatrick, Keanu Neal, and Trenton Thompson all hurt while Damontae Kazee was suspended for the season. With nowhere else to turn, Peterson made the shift. And he looked pretty darn natural back there.
So much so that in the latest episode of his All Things Covered podcast, Peterson believes he’s a safety at his core and understands this move might be permanent, not temporary.
“I really feel like I’m a safety at heart because I’m a communicator,” Peterson told co-host Bryant McFadden. “I love to talk. So when I was put in that position, it was like, now you really have an opportunity to talk. Because at corner, you can say all you want to say, but you’re literally only talking to the people that’s on the side of the field that you’re on.
“Being at safety, you have the opportunity to have a dialogue with Joey. Have a dialogue with Levi [and S Eric Rowe]. The linebackers. Guys up front. It’s just something I love to do when I’m involved in the game. Honestly, I felt like it put me at a natural position.”
Peterson was signed with the intent of becoming versatile, an idea that made him want to come to Pittsburgh. It took weeks for that plan to get put into action but as we noted yesterday, he’s aligned at more spots this year than CB Cam Sutton did all of last season. Pressed into full-time safety snaps in Week 15 against the Indianapolis Colts following Kazee’s ejection and Fitzpatrick’s knee injury, Peterson held his own to get through the game. With a full week of practice reps, he was excellent against the Bengals, picking off QB Jake Browning as the defense fixed their communication issues and coverage busts that plagued them the week before.
With Fitzpatrick looking unlikely to return for Sunday’s tilt against the Seattle Seahawks, Peterson is the favorite to remain at safety. Now 33 years old, he admits deciding to make the full-time switch in an effort to prolong his career is on the table.
“If I want to continue to play football, I think that is gonna be something that’s necessary for me,” he said. “But it’s gonna come down to me if I want to make that change, full-term.”
Peterson had previously been resistant to the idea of moving away from corner, telling reporters as recently as early November he was still a cornerback. But getting to play safety, mostly because he had to, opened up a new window to him he seems to be enjoying. And the corner-to-safety switch is a common one as seen with Eric Rowe, who made the switch earlier in his career and has shown staying power because of it.
Under contract through 2024, a switch would be trickier in Pittsburgh. The Steelers have a free safety in Minkah Fitzpatrick and Peterson isn’t going to play a box role. The team was willing to use Fitzpatrick closer to the line of scrimmage this year, though it took away his impact in the passing game. Injuries have hampered his production but in ten games this year, Fitzpatrick has zero interceptions and just three pass breakups.
What’s clear is that Peterson can at least play safety. Knowing that, the team can find ways to explore and expand his versatility going forward. Maybe that means playing slot corner reps next year and a dime/rover role in obvious pass situations. Or playing the deep half more often to allow Fitzpatrick to bounce around. A good problem for the team to have when the group is healthy for the start of next season.
Check out the full episode below.
