Now that the Pittsburgh Steelers’ 2023 season is getting underway after the team finished above .500 but failing to make the postseason last year, we turn our attention to the next chapter of Steelers football and everything that entails. One thing that it means is that some stock evaluations are going to start taking on more specific contexts as we get into the season, reflecting more immediate plusses and minus rather than trends over long periods. The nature of the evaluation, whether short-term or long-term, will be noted in the reasoning section below.
Player: CB Chandon Sullivan
Stock Value: Up
Reasoning: The veteran defensive back has been quietly toiling away in recent weeks, playing a more prominent role in the secondary due to injuries and holding up his end. He has played particularly well following injuries at safety that prompted Patrick Peterson to move to the back end, allowing Sullivan to see more time back in the slot.
While he has never been entirely out of the lineup, Chandon Sullivan’s role within the defense has risen more than waned in recent weeks. In just the past three games since Minkah Fitzpatrick was injured and Damontae Kazee was suspended, he has played over 100 snaps, out of 381 on the season.
Outside of seeing 54 percent of the defensive snaps all the way back in Week Two, the past three games have marked his top three usage rates for the entire season. That included 45 snaps in the game against the Cincinnati Bengals, 70 percent of the total.
He logged 27 snaps last week, or 55 percent of the Steelers’ total defensive snaps. Although he only directly factored into three plays, he made them count. He registered a hit on Seattle Seahawks WR Tyler Lockett on one play that dislodged the football to force an incompletion. On two other plays he registered tackles that resulted in defensive stops, including one on third down, occasionally needing to weed through traffic to make the play.
Sullivan also had three tackles a week earlier, including one for loss, and a pass defensed. He has 21 total tackles on the year with six passes defensed, recording one interception and one forced fumble. He has also played over 200 snaps on special teams, nearing 600 altogether.
Signed around the draft after Arthur Maulet asked for his release—now a member of the Baltimore Ravens, whom they will play on Saturday—Sullivan has been a bit of an unsung contributor, stepping up lately when called upon.
It likely doesn’t hurt that he had previously played with Peterson while both were with the Minnesota Vikings, aiding in communication. You can take a closer look at what Sullivan did against the Seahawks in the video Alex Kozora posted earlier this week, showing him some love.
