The Pittsburgh Steelers have had a revolving door at slot cornerback since Mike Hilton left, and that’s likely to continue. While they brought back Cameron Sutton, that is potentially a short-term solution, and he is facing an eight-game suspension.
After four seasons with the Steelers, Mike Hilton signed a four-year, $24 million contract with the Cincinnati Bengals in 2021. He is now in the final year of that contract, adding five interceptions, 24 tackles for loss, and two sacks. Meanwhile, Pittsburgh is still looking for answers that he is providing their rival.
“It’s becoming a trend that the Steelers simply don’t devote much resources at slot corner, be it salary cap space or draft capital”, Brian Batko of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette recently argued. “That’s not to say it’s an insignificant position – it’s a starting spot in today’s game – but my sense is their philosophy is that it doesn’t take a particularly special set of skills or measurables to excel there within their scheme”.
Back in 2021, the Steelers perhaps felt they had to make a choice between Hilton and Sutton. The Bengals made it somewhat difficult for the Steelers to match the contract they offered Hilton. As for Sutton, he was still coming up, long before his $33 million contract with the Lions.
After losing Hilton, though, the Steelers brought in Arthur Maulet—another player they have lost to a rival. The Baltimore Ravens just re-signed him on a two-year, $4 million contract while the Steelers look for bodies.
Maulet, by and large, did his job for two years at minimum NFL wages. He asked the Steelers to release him in 2023, and they obliged, turning to the similar Chandon Sullivan. While Sullivan is still a free agent, they haven’t even deemed him fit to return.
Thus far, the Steelers have primarily operated with Josiah Scott as their slot defender outside of Cameron Sutton. The exciting sleeper candidate is Beanie Bishop Jr., a rookie college free agent. Some have compared him to Hilton, only with more speed and better coverage, but he has to prove himself first. If he rises to Hilton’s level, that will be an accomplishment.
Even though head coach Mike Tomlin likes to talk about the predominance of nickel defenses—and the Steelers predominantly play in nickel defenses—they have not yet invested in that position. They have invested in the outside cornerbacks, most notably with the duo of Joe Haden and Steven Nelson. Currently, they have second-round pick Joey Porter Jr. and the well-paid Donte Jackson in those starting posts.
But they are playing roulette to determine who will line up in the slot between them. Batko is right in pointing out that the Steelers are not investing in the position. I suppose it’s up to the viewer, or the reader, to determine whether that cut corner is paying off. Hitting on a guy like Beanie Bishop would go a long way toward validating their approach, though.
