The forgotten secondary addition of the offseason could deserve a longer look. During a Monday chat, Pittsburgh Post-Gazette beat writer Brian Batko wondered if CB Brandin Echols should – and will – see a larger role on the heels of the Steelers’ ugly Thursday night loss to the Cincinnati Bengals. Responding to a question of if practice squader Beanie Bishop Jr. could be a solution, Batko pivoted to Echols instead.
“Eh, that doesn’t really do much for me, but I do wonder if Brandin Echols might get more opportunities in light of that complete coverage breakdown,” Batko wrote. “He’s a smaller, quicker corner with much more NFL experience playing on the outside than Beanie Bishop.”
Quietly signed to a two-year deal in March, Echols has played quality football this season. Flashing since training camp, Echols is younger and faster than Darius Slay, whose 34-year-old legs looked every bit their age against the Bengals. Slay struggled to turn and run with Cincinnati’s athletic wideouts, and he was burned by Andrei Iosivas on a critical third down late in the game.
Versatile with inside-out capability, Echols could see an increased role in moments when Jalen Ramsey logs outside corner snaps in sub-packages. Those moments aren’t common but more prevalent against ace receivers like Ja’Marr Chase and Tee Higgins when Pittsburgh wants Ramsey aligned out wide. That forced Slay to play in the slot, a position where he’s less comfortable, and the results showed. Including on that above catch by Iosivas.
Running a 4.36 40 ahead of the 2021 NFL Draft, that may be an opportunity for Echols to log snaps over Slay. But it’s fair to wonder if Echols’ role will be any larger than that, at least in the short term. Perhaps reducing Slay’s snap count could come in other ways. In Pittsburgh’s base 3-4, Ramsey may play less safety and remain at outside corner while Juan Thornhill or Chuck Clark picks up safety reps.
With the Eagles last season, Slay wasn’t often an every-snap player. Late in the year, his snap count was reduced by 10, 20, and in some instances, even 50 percent. Just in the way Pittsburgh is mindful of DL Cam Heyward’s workload, the same can apply to Slay. Which could lead to an increased role for Echols. And if Slay’s struggles continue against a speedy Green Bay Packers wide receiver group, the calls for a switch to the starting lineup will only grow.
