We will soon find out what the Pittsburgh Steelers' cornerback room will look like on the 53-man roster. With that, we'll also find out several free agents that become available from around the league. With the front office's recent willingness to be aggressive, they will likely be keeping an eye on the cornerback market specifically. Heading into training camp, the Steelers had four legitimate options at the position.
Karl Roser / Pittsburgh Steelers
After an injury to fellow rookie Cory Trice Jr., the pressure is even greater on Steelers second-rounder Joey Porter Jr. to step in and contribute immediately.
Rookie Cory Trice Jr. had just enjoyed impressive early summer portions of OTAs and minicamp. In fact, he received even more buzz than fellow rookie corner Joey Porter Jr. Unfortunately, he suffered a significant season-ending injury at the beginning of training camp. Suddenly, that moved that previous number of four legitimate cornerback options, down to three. Now, questions are in the air about the team's depth at the position.
One more injury, and the group would suddenly be depleted. In the NFL, you can never have too much depth. Perhaps a guy like Greedy Williams would make sense for the Steelers? Gerry Dulac of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette had a chat on Wednesday, and he quickly shot down a fan's idea of bringing in this talented cornerback. His response centered around the team's failed history at acquiring former talented corners via trade.
Well, this one would be a free agent signing for cheap. Paul Zeise and Adam Bittner, both of the PPG, discussed this potential idea of Williams. He's a name AFC North fans may already be familiar with, as he spent the first three seasons of his career with the Cleveland Browns. They took a huge gamble on him in the second round of the 2019 NFL Draft.
Ron Schwane / AP
Former Browns cornerback Greedy Williams provided mixed results in three years in Cleveland, but he could be a perfect depth option for the Steelers.
Before that, he played his college ball for LSU. Williams quickly became one of the best cornerbacks in all of college football. He was seen as an eventual first-rounder, but injuries and inconsistencies led to his slight fall in the draft. Still, he had plenty of talent, thus why the Browns took that risk on him. In three years, Williams started 21 games for the Browns and saw 1,375 defensive snaps total.
Is the Steelers cornerback depth a concern?
Overall, Williams continued to see a decrease in his action on the field as time went by. In 2022, he started just one game at cornerback, as he actually played more snaps on special teams (115) than on defense (105). Well, now he's struggling to find an NFL team. Back in March, the LSU product landed with the Philadelphia Eagles. The NFC North squad released Williams just last week ahead of full 53-man roster cuts, and that's where things stand as of Thursday.
Now, before you examine the Steelers' possible interest in a player, it's important to analyze where the two sides stood during the pre-draft process. As we've come to know, Head Coach Mike Tomlin and the Steelers value those kind of meetings down the road. It's led to many signings in free agency, most recently Elandon Roberts this offseason. The Steelers got to know Roberts in the pre-draft process, which helped them land him years later.
JORDAN SCHOFIELD / STEELERNATION (TWITTER / x: @JSKO_PHOTO)
Steelers wide receiver Diontae Johnson has become a perfect third-round draft, as he's one of the better route runners in all of football.
Don't you worry, the Steelers did indeed meet with Williams ahead of the 2019 NFL Draft. Pittsburgh did not have a second-rounder in the draft, and they ended up with Diontae Johnson early in the third round. Let's just say that ended up working out for the black and gold. Fast forward over four years later, and this is a connection that could make some sense.
The talent is there, and Williams has experience as well. At this point, the front office may as well roll the dice on a guy like him as opposed to James Pierre. You know what you're getting from Pierre at this point, which is mainly a special teams contributor. While the team values those kind of players, Williams has proved to bring some value there as well. He has the talent to be the perfect fourth or fifth cornerback in the Steelers' room.
Do you think the Steelers should pursue a guy like Williams? If not, who do you think the team should target to fortify its cornerback depth? Would you be satisfied with Pierre making the team once again? Share your thoughts in the comment section below, yinz!
#SteelerNation
