The Steelers could potentially look for more nickel depth, and Mike Hilton is still available; does a reunion make sense? Hilton is likely near the end of his career, but the Steelers could use some experienced depth. He is still sound in run support and as a blitzer—coverage was never his specialty to begin with.
With Pittsburgh on a break until training camp, every possible topic inevitably arises. Recently, Mike Hilton’s name resurfaced in relation to the Steelers. It started with Pittsburgh showing up as a “logical landing spot” for him, and the news cycle feeds itself.
And so it came that Brian Batko of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette fielded such a question on 93.7 The Fan. They are, after all, voracious Steelers Depot readers over there, and we thank them for that. So what does Batko think about the Steelers kicking the tires on Hilton?
“Mike Hilton, obviously they’re familiar with him, and vice versa. But I also think of some games in recent history where they’ve exploited Mike Hilton in some matchups”, he said of the Steelers. “I can remember specifically a slot fade to George Pickens down in Cincinnati where Hilton didn’t have a chance there. So they know his limitations, as well. I don’t know what they would be willing to pay him now at 31”.
Above is the play in question, and frankly, that was always going to be a mismatch. George Pickens is not meant to go against slot defenders, let alone slower, aging ones. The Steelers clearly maneuvered Mike Hilton into a bad matchup there—but that’s what teams do.
Would Beanie Bishop Jr. fare any better one-on-one on a slot fade to George Pickens, though? He might be one step fewer behind, but neither of them can grow. They are both undersized for that situation, which is one of the risks you take playing such a defender. But they also have advantages when covering smaller slot receivers, better able to move in short spaces.
What about Jalen Ramsey, whom the Steelers apparently checked in on? “He’s getting up there in age, too, but he’s on a different level than Mike Hilton as a player. I think there’d be a lot of moving parts there for that to fall into place, but the Steelers do have some wiggle room under the cap”, Batko said. “They’ve got some money to spend, and I think slot corner is one of the areas where they could choose to make a splash”.
Batko is a big believer in not overlooking the nickel position. Earlier this month, he advocated for the Steelers adding here, though did not mention Mike Hilton. Even going back to last year, he said the Steelers owed it to themselves to keep looking.
They didn’t, and they landed on Beanie Bishop, their Mike Hilton 2.0, whom they demoted. And now he is the frontrunner to regain his job, so where does that leave us? Brandin Echols is the presumptive Plan B. But if the Steelers thought Hilton were better, I suppose he would be here.
