Player: CB Grayland Arnold
Stock Value: Up
Reasoning: While everybody is focusing on rookie Beanie Bishop Jr., veteran Grayland Arnold is quietly doing work. Or at least he was quiet—not so much recently. Arnold has recorded an interception in back-to-back practices, which will certainly get him attention. As Bishop benefited from the Steelers releasing Josiah Scott, of course, so does Arnold. He is a legitimate candidate to be the opening-day slot defender, especially if he keeps making plays.
The Steelers took a similar approach at cornerback as they did at wide receiver this offseason. They filled the room with marginal veterans with experience, hoping that the wheat would separate itself from the chaff. Perhaps Grayland Arnold is starting to emerge as that wheat, which they need in the defensive backfield.
As Alex Kozora notes in his training camp diaries, the former Houston Texans defender is making plays. He has recorded an interception in each of the last two practices, and Kozora writes that “he’s shut down some of the short passing game”.
A free agent coming out of Baylor in 2020, Grayland Arnold shares a common story. A cornerback lacking ideal height, he has bounced around the league some. He has recently gained traction in Houston but hopes to play even more in Pittsburgh.
Arnold saw his most extensive playing time on defense last year at just 143 snaps, largely due to injury. While he did some good things, it’s too small a sample size to gauge who he is as a player. But if he keeps making plays during training camp, the Steelers will struggle to ignore him.
As mentioned at the top, both Arnold and Beanie Bishop Jr. benefited from a recent transaction. As the Steelers sort out their short-term slot options in the wake of Cameron Sutton’s eight-game suspension, they released one of the presumptive leading candidates in Josiah Scott.
That puts Arnold one step closer to having a significant role on this defense, potentially the opening-day slot defender. But either way, he is much closer to a roster spot than perhaps most thought he would be entering camp.
As the season progresses, Steelers players’ stocks rise and fall. The nature of the evaluation differs with the time of year, with in-season considerations being more often short-term. Considerations in the offseason often have broader implications, particularly when players lose their jobs, or the team signs someone. This time of year is full of transactions, whether minor or major.
A bad game, a new contract, an injury, a promotion—any number of things affect a player’s value. Think of it as a stock on the market, based on speculation. You’ll feel better about a player after a good game, or worse after a bad one. Some stock updates are minor, while others are likely to be quite drastic, so bear in mind the degree. I’ll do my best to explain the nature of that in the reasoning section of each column.
