Patrick Peterson was signed to become the next Cam Sutton. A smart, hyper-versatile player in the Pittsburgh Steelers’ defense. Mostly an outside corner throughout his career, it was a projection. And for the first five weeks of the year, the team’s hope wasn’t being put into action.
But as the season’s gone on, as Joey Porter Jr.’s developed and as injuries pile up (versatility is often created through adversity), Peterson has moved all about the secondary. According to our charting, he’s aligned at eight different spots this season, one more than Sutton did in 2022 for the Steelers.
Let’s break down where Peterson has been spotted in his first year with the team.
Patrick Peterson Alignments/Uses
Left Cornerback – 393
Right Cornerback – 242
Nickel Corner – 198
Free Safety – 116
Strong Safety (b0x) – 7
Dime – 4
Dime (box) – 1
Strong Safety – 1
The first quarter of Peterson’s season was spent on the outside, and it’s why it still dominates the list. Mostly working at left corner, he began to shift once Porter saw regular playing time. With that, Peterson logged more time at right cornerback and saw additional slot work beyond just dime packages.
Recently, as injuries have piled up at safety, Peterson has made another move. He finished things out there against the Indianapolis Colts and started there against the Cincinnati Bengals. He logged just one snap designated as a slot corner, still a safety but coming down over slot on a fourth down play.
The remaining snaps aren’t many, but he’s also gotten a bit of work as a box safety and true floating dime defender. He’s played every position someone in the secondary could.
Peterson had a rough first month to the season, looking every bit his age and unable to capitalize on a couple of the opportunities he had. Since then, he’s improved and evened out his play while serving a valuable role as the healthy Swiss Army Knife, covering for all the team’s injuries and adjustments.
Over the first four weeks of the year, Peterson allowed a QB rating of 114.0. Since? Just a 41.6 rating against, a stellar number. At 33, he’s still not a long-term option, but you can see why the team signed him. He’s been a steady presence and true to what the Steelers wanted. He’s helping out at more than just cornerback.
