One of the big questions for the 2024 Pittsburgh Steelers that they need to find an answer to throughout training camp is who will be holding down the slot corner responsibilities for the first eight weeks of the season. Cameron Sutton will likely fill that role once he returns, but he was suspended for the first eight games of the season for a domestic violence incident that occurred earlier in the offseason. It would appear DeShon Elliott may be a part of those plans, at least for now.
During the first team session of camp, Elliott was seeing slot reps, according to Alex Kozora on-site at Saint Vincent College.
With Sutton out of the lineup early on, the two leading candidates to compete for the slot job include rookie UDFA CB Beanie Bishop Jr. and veteran CB Josiah Scott. The Steelers have had a revolving door of slot players over the last few seasons, so the added uncertainty in 2024 is one of the biggest issues to figure out.
Elliott figures to be the team’s primary strong safety to line up next to Minkah Fitzpatrick. But he has experience lining up all around the secondary from his time with the Baltimore Ravens and Miami Dolphins. In 2023, he played 113 snaps in the slot, 266 as a box safety, and 589 as a free safety.
His versatility will be a huge asset for the Steelers this season. Fitzpatrick is also capable of moving around as needed, though the Steelers expressed that they would love to keep him in his natural spot as a center fielder as much as possible. Damontae Kazee, who started at safety last year, will also allow the Steelers to do things like move Elliott around.
DeShon Elliot’s continued usage in the slot will be something to monitor throughout training camp, along with how the rest of the secondary looks when he is aligned there. More to come on this in Kozora’s daily training camp diary later today.
