Steelers Insider Reveals Team's Surprising Trade Deadline Stance On The Secondary

The Pittsburgh Steelers were seemingly in panic mode just a couple of weeks ago regarding their cornerback room. The team shipped off star cornerback Joey Porter Jr. to the Dallas Cowboys and immediately following this move, new No. 1 cornerback Jamel Dean went down with an injury. The remaining group of cornerbacks was young and inexperienced, which caused major concern for the secondary's ability to hold up as the season progressed. As it sits currently, the secondary has played solid football. There have not been any weak links on the backend of the defense, as the cornerbacks have performed well. 

The cornerback room now consists of Asante Samuel Jr., Daylen Everette, Sean Murphy-Bunting, and Doneiko Slaughter, as well as Dean, who has since returned from injury. The secondary has meshed together well and has done a good job of not giving up splash plays while remaining effective in the run game. Samuel Jr. has really stepped up to the plate and taken on the role of being Pittsburgh's No. 2 cornerback.

Dean, who returned from injury in Week 6 against his former team, the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, has been outstanding. He arguably had the best game of his career in Week 6, totaling a whopping six passes defended and recording a crucial interception late in the game. Dean has established himself as Pittsburgh's best cornerback and projects to continually match up with opponents' top wide receivers. 

The team has a lot of major contributors in the secondary beyond the cornerback room too. Nickelback Jalen Ramsey has been amazing, doing a little bit of everything for the team. Safety Jaquan Brisker has held his own and helped out in the run game a lot. Standout safety DeShon Elliott returned from injury in Week 7 and should continue to ramp up and give the Steelers' secondary an even bigger boost.

All things considered, the outlook for the secondary has changed drastically compared with what it was less than a month ago. Many Steelers fans were certain that the secondary would be a huge weakness for the team after the trade of Porter Jr., but that has not been the case. Pittsburgh did not make any splash moves to acquire a big-name secondary player, but has still been able to create a solid group. It does not seem likely that the Steelers will have any interest in adding another cornerback to the roster before the trade deadline, as Steelers insider Mark Kaboly highlighted during a recent episode of Kaboly + Mack Live.

"I do not believe that [the Steelers] have interest in adding another cornerback," Kaboly said. "The secondary has been playing just fine. The team has been able to play its style of defense. I think it is wide receiver or nothing."

The Steelers' defensive backfield has been an underrated group during the team's three-game win streak. Ramsey and Dean have received praise for their efforts, but Samuel Jr., Robert Spears-Jennings, and Everette have performed very well when called upon. The performances of these younger players surely give the franchise plenty of confidence in its secondary and could allow the front office to focus on acquiring a playmaker on offense rather than having to help fix the secondary.

It almost feels as though the majority of Steelers fans did not give the secondary a chance after the trade of Porter Jr. Pittsburgh's Week 4 loss to the Cleveland Browns could be the reason for this, as it was arguably the secondary's worst performance of the season to that point. Regardless, the secondary has turned it around and is looking like a strength for Pittsburgh, rather than a weakness.

Steelers' Rest-Of-Season Schedule Is Grueling 

While Pittsburgh sits at 5-2 and tied for the lead of the AFC North, the team's schedule is going to get very tough from here on out. The Steelers' schedule ranks as the second-hardest in the entire NFL for the rest of the season. The secondary will need to continue to play well, and the offense will need to continue to click if there is to be any chance of postseason success in the Steel City this season.

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