The Pittsburgh Steelers haven’t done much at the cornerback position this offseason, addressing the position through the draft by taking Ryan Watts in the sixth round and trading for CB Donte Jackson, but the room is still rather unproven and young. Yesterday, the Steelers signed CB Anthony Averett coming off a successful rookie minicamp tryout, and the addition of Averett adds a veteran who knows how the league works and can serve as a sounding board for some of Pittsburgh’s young cornerbacks.
Jackson remains the most experienced cornerback in the room, but having another veteran who’s been an established player in the league is only going to help the room get better and help some of the younger players develop. For as good as Joey Porter Jr. was as a rookie, he’s still entering just his second NFL season, and his mentor last season, Patrick Peterson, is still a free agent. Adding another veteran in Averett alongside Jackson should help provide some stability and leadership at cornerback.
Darius Rush barely played as a rookie and Cory Trice Jr. missed the entire season with a torn ACL. While both have potential, they’re unproven, and it would’ve been hard to go into training camp with the two of them along with Watts as the top options behind Porter and Jackson. Averett is a player, who as Mark Kaboly said, has “been there, done that” in the NFL.
A solid corner for the Ravens who has battled the injury bug and didn’t play in 2023, he knows how the AFC North operates, and he’s shown he can be a solid player in the NFL. He gives the Steelers another, more reliable depth option if he can stay healthy and a guy who can be a leader and show some of the younger guys the ropes when it comes to life in the NFL.
I’ve said a few times this offseason that I like the idea of Watts, Trice and Rush competing against each other and developing together. “Two dogs, one bone” is how Mike Tomlin often refers to those sort of camp competitions, and competition between the three is good. But adding Averett to the mix just strengthens Pittsburgh’s roster with someone who has 1,478 career snaps outside. The competition will still be good, but now the three have another veteran in the room for advice, and if none of the three develop how Pittsburgh hopes, Averett becomes a good option to see some snaps.
It’s not a signing that should blow anyone away, but to get someone like Averett to add to the cornerback room in May is a good bit of business by Pittsburgh and a move that could pay more dividends than it seems.
