Aside from quarterback, there is one position where the Pittsburgh Steelers have struggled to find a long-term answer.
That would be cornerback. Though Joey Porter Jr. is still young and has a bright future, the Steelers have gone through a handful of veterans in recent years trying to find an answer. Patrick Peterson and Donte Jackson both spent a year with Pittsburgh, and even Levi Wallace was a starter for a few years.
It’s led to some problems in the secondary from a coverage aspect. But now, the Steelers believe they’ve found answers this offseason.
Adding Darius Slay and Brandin Echols in free agency and trading for Jalen Ramsey was named the Steelers’ best offseason decision by Pro Football Focus Tuesday morning.
“Most of the Steelers’ defense played at a high level last season. The lone exception was a cornerback unit that ranked 30th in the NFL in PFF coverage grade,” PFF’s Dalton Wasserman writes. “They did well to fix that, acquiring a couple of outstanding veterans. Former Eagle Darius Slay earned a 75.5 PFF coverage grade that ranked 16th in the NFL last season. Recent trade acquisition Jalen Ramsey recorded the 11th-best PFF overall grade among qualified cornerbacks in his final season in Miami.
“If both of these moves pan out, the Steelers could have the best defense in the NFL this season.”
Issues in the secondary were persistent late in 2024. If it wasn’t penalties, it was miscommunication and blown assignments, leading to big plays. After he started the season year strong, Jackson struggled with injuries and was largely ineffective.
Cory Trice Jr. had some good moments, but was largely learning on the job, too.
So, the Steelers set out to upgrade the room. They did so in a big way.
Slay showed he can still play at a high level last season in Philadelphia, especially in the playoffs, helping the Eagles win the Super Bowl. Echols is a serviceable piece, too, that is being overlooked due to the high-profile additions of Slay and Ramsey.
Though there are questions about Ramsey’s role and fit with the Steelers, he remains a very good defensive back who can move all over and make plays. He’s up there in age at 31 years old, but he’s still a smart player who brings physicality to the secondary.
Having Slay and Ramsey in the room takes some pressure off Porter to be the true lockdown option for the Black and Gold. He gets some veterans who have been there and done that to learn from, which will only aid his development.
If the Steelers can put it all together in the secondary this season, even with the loss of stalwart Minkah Fitzpatrick in the Ramsey trade, they should be very good on that side of the football, giving them a chance to be true contenders.
