The Pittsburgh Steelers added a couple of big-name cornerbacks this offseason. Darius Slay joined the team shortly after free agency began, and Jalen Ramsey was acquired from Miami towards the end of the offseason. The goal was clear. After some coverage mishaps appeared late in the 2024 season, the Steelers wanted to be able to guard all of their opponents with a trio including Ramsey, Slay, and Joey Porter Jr. Then, behind all of that hype, was the addition of Brandin Echols.
Echols was one of the first free agents to agree to terms with the Steelers. The Steelers liked his ability to play both nickel and outside corner. Being behind those aforementioned three, Echols wasn’t expected to get much playing time. And he hasn’t been on the field a ton, just 212 snaps through six games, nearly half the team’s total.
When he’s been on the field, though, Echols has impressed. And with the rest of the secondary struggling, it’s time for him to see the field more often.
One area Echols has been good in is man coverage. He did well on this rep against Ja’Marr Chase midway through the fourth quarter last week.
Echols is allowing a 63.6-percent completion rate when targeted and has given up 14 completions on the year. However, on those completions, he’s only allowed 35 yards after the catch. That’s because he sticks to receivers and has good instincts in man coverage. This is a simple route from Chase, but Echols reads it well off the line and matches the receiver’s first step. He anticipates the ball being thrown, locates Joe Flacco throwing it, and turns himself around in time to avoid a penalty. It’s a great technique from Echols throughout the play.
The Steelers play a lot of zone, another area Echols has been impressive in.
This was the final drive of the game, as Minnesota needed a field goal to tie, with less than a minute remaining in regulation. With two very deep safeties, the Steelers are trying to keep everything in front of them. Echols first tries to pounce on an out route ahead of him, which makes Carson Wentz think he can target the corner route breaking behind him.
But Echols doesn’t lock onto the first route he sees. He keeps his eyes in the backfield and shows great instincts to fly back and cut off the corner before Wentz can get it there. He’s not able to come up with a pick, but he affects the pass enough that the receiver can’t catch it before going out of bounds. The Steelers were called for holding on this play, but not on Echols, and it’s great technique regardless.
One thing Brandin Echols has done especially well is fly downhill. He plays physically and shows his skills when coming downhill to get a stop. Once again, back in Week 3, he made a key play late in the game to ice it for the Steelers.
This is on fourth down, and Echols does get some help from the receiver simply not diving for a quick first down. But this is another sign of instincts and technique from Echols. At the same time that Drake Maye starts his throwing motion, Echols realizes the ball is going to the flat. He charges downhill and makes a great diving tackle, bringing the receiver down by the legs and forcing a game-winning turnover on downs.
He can do the same against the run as well.
This is about as hesitant as it gets from Will Campbell, who doesn’t really even try to put a block on Echols. But this is the type of technique you want to see from a cornerback. He holds his outside contain, which forces TreVeyon Henderson to cut inside. Once he does, Echols makes a solid, low tackle, putting his shoulder straight into Henderson’s legs to bring him down for just a two-yard gain.
Brandin Echols hasn’t been perfect. He’s had some coverage busts, which is on par with the rest of the secondary. Here, he has a miscommunication with a linebacker in the middle of the field. Echols plays man coverage and sticks to his assignment, but ends up right next to his linebacker sitting in the zone. That leaves the edge wide open for Justin Fields. However, Echols flies to the sideline and makes a big hit on Fields to stop a touchdown.
The Jets would score a touchdown soon after. But this effort is what the Steelers’ defense collectively needs. You never know what kind of thing could happen on this type of play. Maybe Fields fumbles the ball out of the end zone for a touchback. Or the hit simply sets the tone on the field or shifts momentum. At the end of the day, this intensity and technique are what the defense needs more of, especially against the run.
They could use Echols against the pass, too. He’s allowing just 6.7 yards per completion and a passer rating of 54.0 when targeted. Each is a career-best number, and the passer rating is by a wide margin.
Compared to some of his counterparts, it’s impressive. Ramsey is allowing a completion rate of 65.8 percent, 11.8 yards per completion and a passer rating of 104.7. Slay’s allowing a 76.9-percent rate, 11.3 per completion and a rating of 115.1.
This isn’t to say either of them should be benched for Brandin Echols. Although it’s a smaller sample size, Echols has been statistically better than both Slay and Ramsey. It shows through on film, too. He’s playing with great technique and instincts in both man and zone, and brings effort and intensity against the run. The Steelers need to get him on the field more often, especially after last Thursday’s loss.
