While we continue to go in circles about the Pittsburgh Steelers wide receivers, they still have a glaring hole elsewhere. At least, that is how Ray Fittipaldo of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette assesses the team’s situation at slot cornerback. He offered a bleak assessment in discussing the position with Joe Starkey on 93.7 The Fan yesterday.
“In terms of the slot, I don’t think there’s a viable candidate who’s on their offseason roster right now,” he said. “We’ll continue to monitor the situation with Cam[eron] Sutton and how his legal situation unfolds. They also have the option of bringing back [Patrick] Peterson”.
Notably, Fittipaldo was on the front line if predicting the Steelers would release Peterson. They did just that, of course. But he believes the Steelers may be able to “hide” him more if they keep him in the slot. And Peterson sounds very willing.
Somewhat surprisingly, the Steelers have also left the door open for Sutton. A 2017 third-round pick, he spent six seasons here before leaving in free agency in 2023. Legal troubles led to his arrest and release from the Detroit Lions. But they have spoken candidly about reaching out to him, and about an openness to doing business with him.
Since last season, the Steelers released Peterson and parted with Levi Wallace, James Pierre, and Chandon Sullivan. Wallace and Pierre signed contracts elsewhere, while Peterson and Sullivan remain available. Sullivan is the most experienced slot option of the group, but is limited. Yet so are their internal candidates, including in the experience department.
“I’m not 100 percent certain that Beanie Bishop [Jr.] or Josiah Scott or anyone else who’s running in the slot this spring is gonna be a guy who can do it in the fall”, Fittipaldo said of the Steelers’ current slot options. Bishop is a rookie college free agent who has attracted a good deal of buzz. Scott is a veteran with NFL experience who spent time on the Steelers’ practice squad in 2023.
While he lacks size, Bishop has intriguing speed and ball skills, making him an enticing possibility. But there is a reason that he went undrafted, including his lack of experience in the higher levels of college football. He spent just one season with West Virginia, the same program the Steelers also nabbed C Zach Frazier from.
Revisiting players that you already parted company with as a fallback option is not the ideal situation, however. If the Steelers really wanted to move forward with Peterson, they could have approached him about a pay cut. At the least, they would have re-signed him by now. As for Sutton, signing a player accused of domestic assault is a slippery slope. On a more practical note, he could face a suspension.
We will have to see how the Steelers’ slot cornerback position shakes out. Perhaps somebody like Darius Rush throws his hat into the ring, even though he is viewed as an outside guy. The opportunity to get on the field is a tempting lure.
