One of the biggest needs the Pittsburgh Steelers had entering the offseason was at cornerback. Most of the focus has been at outside corner, and the Steelers took steps to address that by signing veteran CB Anthony Averett after his tryout at rookie minicamp. However, the slot cornerback position is still a problem. Both Averett and Donte Jackson are more experienced playing outside than in the slot. It’s more than enough to make a person miss former Steelers CB Mike Hilton.
Hilton spent four years in Pittsburgh and played in 59 games. He had seven interceptions, 32 passes defended, three forced fumbles, and five fumble recoveries. He even chipped in 9.5 sacks and 30 tackles for a loss among 237 total tackles. After the 2020 season, he and the Steelers were unable to come to an agreement and he signed with the Cincinnati Bengals.
“Once they let Mike Hilton walk a couple years ago, they haven’t been able to find a corner that has been as productive as Mike Hilton,” ESPN’s Brooke Pryor said on Monday’s episode of The PFN Cincinnati Bengals Podcast. “And I think that that’s been one of the biggest mistakes of this last stretch of the Mike Tomlin years… I think that was a big mistake to let him go because they haven’t been able to find someone that has been consistent.”
Since departing Pittsburgh for a divisional rival, Hilton has continued to be a productive defender. He’s played in 48 games in three years in Cincinnati. He has five interceptions, including his first career pick-six. He also has 19 passes defended, one forced fumble, and one fumble recovery. He’s also added two more sacks and 24 tackles for a loss among his 210 total tackles.
Especially as NFL teams tend to spread the field out, defenses need capable and versatile defenders. Hilton proved he could affect the passing game in coverage as well as make plays happen behind the line of scrimmage. The Steelers certainly have lacked that, and it’s hard to think that they wouldn’t take Hilton back in a heartbeat for the 2024 season.
Pryor would certainly do everything she could if she were a general manager.
“If I’m a GM, and I’m rewriting history and trying to undo some of the biggest mistakes, that’s my number one,” Pryor said. “I think I would do anything I could to re-sign him.”
Oh, and that first career pick-six? It just had to come against the Steelers, didn’t it?
