Buy Or Sell: The Steelers need to upgrade the slot defender role significantly.
Explanation: Rather than rely on one stout nickel defender to man the slot, the Steelers relied on a revolving door. Availability played a role, but Chandon Sullivan logged the most slot coverage snaps. Patrick Peterson came second, Minkah Fitzpatrick third, followed by safeties Damontae Kazee and Keanu Neal.
Buy:
Of the top six defenders to man the slot last season, the Steelers allowed a reception on one of 11 targets. Across 626 snaps in coverage, they allowed 63 receptions for 719 yards, of which 318 came after the catch. The group allowed four touchdowns, two by Kazee, though they also recorded three interceptions.
Mind you, those are only the numbers for slot snaps from the top six defensive backs. Those aren’t all the slot snaps from all defenders. That doesn’t include two touchdowns allowed by Levi Wallace or another by James Pierre.
Chandon Sullivan took 207 of those 626 snaps, allowing 20 catches for 196 yards and a touchdown. That doesn’t sound horrible, but you can upgrade from that. And that doesn’t account for his average run defense. The Steelers haven’t had a stout answer in the slot since Mike Hilton left.
Sell:
Need is a strong word, especially in the face of higher priorities. They need an upgrade at outside cornerback more than in the slot. Part of last year’s issue stemmed from availability. They relied on so many different players because players got hurt to some extent. Changing roles—Joey Porter Jr.’s promotion, for example—also added instability.
They don’t necessarily need to make some splashy investment here. They just need consistency. Patrick Peterson only allowed a catch on one of every 19 snaps in coverage in 151 snaps in the slot, for example. He averaged 0.76 yards allowed per snap in coverage in that alignment. Give him time to develop there, and perhaps he’s your answer.
With the Steelers’ 2023 season in the rearview mirror following a disappointing year that came up short in the playoffs once again, it’s time to start asking more questions. Questions about the team’s future in 2024 and beyond. Questions about The Standard.
The rookie class of a year ago was, on the whole, impressive, but they need to step up into staple starters in 2024. And they likely need a strong influx of talent in both free agency and in the 2024 NFL draft yet again. In addition to a revisitation of the coaching staff.
These sorts of uncertainties are what I will look to address in our Buy or Sell series. In each installment, I will introduce a topic statement and weigh some of the arguments for either buying it (meaning that you agree with it or expect it to be true) or selling it (meaning you disagree with it or expect it to be false).
