The Pittsburgh Steelers have a number of clear issues on defense, despite having the highest paid unit in the entire National Football League. The most noticeable issue is their lack of depth at the cornerback position behind Joey Porter Jr. Pittsburgh's defensive backs overall struggled greatly against the pass, and it all stemmed back to the team's lack of urgency at the nickel spot.
Alysa Rubin / Pittsburgh Steelers
Pittsburgh Steelers cornerback Cam Sutton during a postseason Wild Card game against the Baltimore Ravens in 2025.
Last season, the majority of the nickel cornerback snaps were being given to Chandon Sullivan, who never found much success going up against receivers in the slot. Levi Wallace played alongside Patrick Peterson and Porter on the outside. Porter was was just a rookie then, but quickly became the best corner on the roster. Pittsburgh's cornerbacks were a huge problem in 2023, yet those issues were not fixed this season. The Steelers signed Donte Jackson to replace Wallace on Porter's opposite side, but he was inconsistent and dealt with many injuries.
More importantly, Pittsburgh's approach to solving their issues at the nickel was signing Beanie Bishop Jr. and bringing back Cameron Sutton after he was released by the Detroit Lions for domestic battery allegations. The Steelers were warned about relying on an undrafted rookie and a player who would be suspended for the first eight games of the regular season. Sure enough, the slot cornerback spot wound up being Pittsburgh's greatest weakness on defense for much of the season.
Brian Batko, a Steelers reporter for the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, said the defense hasn't valued nickel corner in years and have relied on hoping that someone will work out for them.
"The Steelers have really not valued the nickel corner position since Mike Hilton left in free agency," Batko said on Friday. "They've tried to get by with the Arthur Maulets of the world, the Chandon Sullivans of the world, the cheapened by poor play and off-field arrests Cam Suttons of the world, and another undrafted guy in Beanie Bishop, who might be a nice find."
Much of the fan base in the Steel City was perplexed as to why Sutton was obviously getting more playing time over Bishop, who had a nice 2024 season after a slow start. Sutton had a very underwhelming season statistically after he returned from his suspension, yet it seemed like Bishop was never given much opportunity over him.
"Maybe he will prove to be the answer here long-term, but, I mean, you look at a clear weak link of the defense, they've tried to just find those slot corners and hope that they'll be able to fit really any kind of guy into that spot because of the scheme, but teams have attacked that all season," Batko explained.
Mike Hilton was signed by the Steelers in 2017 and spent the first four seasons of his career in the black and gold as one of their best corners, specifically in the slot. Hilton caught seven interceptions with Pittsburgh, but the Steelers didn't extend him after his fourth season. Hilton has remained in the AFC North with the Cincinnati Bengals since then and has continued to play at a high level. This Pittsburgh defense would be completely different had they decided to keep Hilton.
Cincinnati Bengals
Former Steelers and current Bengals cornerback, Mike Hilton (#21) down on one knee during a snow professional football game in 2023.
The slot cornerback position needs to be addressed in the upcoming offseason. Sutton's time with the Steelers is likely over, and Bishop will need more time to develop. Pittsburgh also needs to consider replacing Jackson on the outside, because his performance dropped drastically as the season went on.
Steelers' Options To Attack At Cornerback In 2025 Free Agency
The Steelers traded for Jackson and took him in on a one-year deal, setting him to hit free agency in 2025. With a return to Pittsburgh highly unlikely for Jackson, the Steelers will have to spend some money elsewhere for cornerback. Coincidentally, Hilton's contract with Cincinnati expires after this season and will also hit the market, which could set up a possible return to Pittsburgh. Some other interesting names in the cornerback market along with Hilton are Byron Murphy, D.J. Reed, Charvarius Ward, and Carlton Davis, who will be the most expensive.
Minnesota Vikings
The Steelers could target Minnesota Vikings cornerback Byron Murphy during 2025 free agency.
The Steelers will likely attack their issues at corner through free agency and the NFL Draft. The pass defense issues have been out of hand for years now and needs to be addressed in order to get the defense in the right direction.
What do you think? Have the Steelers completely botched the handling of their missing piece at nickel corner? Who should the team bring in to fill that role? Let us know in the comments below.
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