The Pittsburgh Steelers significantly overhauled all three phases of the game during this past offseason. That included making some significant changes to their very expensive defensive unit. They had some weaknesses in the secondary and at middle linebacker.
Gene J. Puskar / Associated Press
Steelers linebacker Patrick Queen.
They made their largest-ever free agency signing bringing inside linebacker Patrick Queen on board. They let Patrick Peterson go after only one year to make room for players to support second-year cornerback Joey Porter Jr. Clearly, the future Hall of Famer isn’t the same player he used to be. That left fans and the media wondering if the Steelers would go after a cornerback in the 2024 NFL Draft.
They did choose to trade wide receiver Diontae Johnson to the Carolina Panthers for cornerback Donte Jackson. However, Jackson is meant to be primarily on the outside, so there is still a need for a solid nickel cornerback. That led the franchise to call upon an old friend, Cam Sutton. The Detroit Lions released Sutton after he was arrested for aggravated battery and domestic violence. The league handed out an eight-game suspension, which means that Sutton will not play in a game until after the Steelers' bye week at the beginning of November.
Recently, Mark Kaboly, the Steelers correspondent for The Pat McAfee Show, joined 93.7 The Fan Morning Show to discuss how he feels about the preseason thus far. Host Adam Crowley asked Kaboly, on a scale of 1-10, how concerned he is about that nickel cornerback situation.
"Eight," said Kaboly without hesitation. "First of all, I don't know if they want Donte Jackson inside; I don't know if he's ever played inside. I think he said before he's never played there. They brought him in because of his speed on the outside, so they would not wanna do that."
In addition to Jackson, the Steelers have some other players fighting for spots on the team, including Beanie Bishop Jr. Bishop is an undrafted rookie free agent. He garnered a lot of attention during training camp for seeming to be everywhere at once, which led to Bishop being listed as the starting nickel on the initial depth chart.
Steelerso.com
Steelers' Beanie Bishop Jr.
Bishop did not play in the second preseason game against the Buffalo Bills. Unsurprisingly, Head Coach Mike Tomlin downplayed his absence. He said that Bishop had a minor injury, and they did not want to risk making it any worse. While there was lots of talk about his effort and the surprise surrounding him not being drafted, Kaboly said he still has concerns about using him as a starting nickel.
"We're still talking about a guy that was undrafted in a draft where everyone is telling us those sixth and seventh rounders were the worst it's ever been because of the NIL and the guys staying. A guy who's a rookie, playing a position where you have to be smart, you have to be good at it, I'm pretty concerned with it. They've got different options of moving people around, but depending, I'll say regardless of how he plays, Beanie Bishop, on Saturday, I think they go try to find somebody. If it's Patrick Peterson, it's Patrick Peterson."
The suggestion of bringing Peterson back has come up numerous times. Crowley noted that having Peterson doesn't exactly make him feel better. We saw Peterson struggle so much last season that he was used more as a safety than a cornerback towards the end of the year.
Mark J. Terrill / AP
Former Steelers cornerback Patrick Peterson intercepts a pass against the Bengals in Pittsburgh, PA.
Steelers' Cory Trice Jr. Getting A Shot
When the Steelers drafted Cory Trice Jr. in the seventh round in 2023, there was hope that he would be the steal of the season. Trice impressed everyone during the start of camp, and he and Porter earned the nickname "The Avatars" for their elite height and build. Unfortunately, Trice suffered a season-ending injury and never played in a 2023 regular season game.
Karl Roser / Pittsburgh Steelers
Steelers' Cory Trice Jr. and Joey Porter Jr.
Now, he is back and taking advantage of the opportunity to show the coaches that he is more than ready to make an impact. With Sutton serving his suspension, Trice is giving it all he's got. He had a solid pass breakup against the Bills and the Steelers hope he that can provide quality depth on the defense.
Do you believe the Steelers will sign Peterson or someone else to help at cornerback? Click to comment below.
#SteelerNation
