The Pittsburgh Steelers revamped their secondary in the offseason. The departure of Cameron Sutton to the Detroit Lions got things rolling as the team pivoted and grabbed veteran Patrick Peterson off the market. In the draft, the organization spent two picks on long, rangy cornerbacks in Joey Porter Jr. and Cory Trice Jr. Finally, they dropped underperforming depth options Ahkello Witherspoon and Arthur Maulet, who apparently wanted a raise, and added veteran Chandon Sullivan.
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Steelers cornerback Chandon Sullivan makes a tackle during a game in 2022 against the Detroit Lions.
The Steelers added the 26-year-old to the mix on the final day of the draft. The veteran has only played for NFC teams after being picked up as an undrafted free agent by the Philadelphia Eagles. He had stints with the Green Bay Packers and Minnesota Vikings before arriving in the Steel City. Sullivan was a star in college as a four-year starter for Georgia State and even registered the program's first-ever pick 6 in 2015 in a matchup with Arkansas State. His ball-hawking production has been inconsistent at the pro level. He's got five career interceptions, but three came in 2021 as a member of the Packers and he failed to register any in 2022. Despite the lack of takeaways for the Vikings last season, Sullivan posted career highs in tackles (60), passes defended (7) and quarterback hits (1).
Sullivan spoke at OTAs on Tuesday for the first time as a member of the Black and Gold and said he's pleased to have found a new home.
"It was a smooth transition," he told Chris Adamski of TribLive.com. "I had teams talking to me and telling me what the expectations were. At the end of the day, this was my fit. They asked me to come in and compete and I'm happy to be here."
Steelers Have Lots Of Time To Decide Possible Combinations For New Corners
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Steelers' Levi Wallace (#29) tackles Cincinnati Bengals' Samaje Perine (#34) into the endzone in Pittsburgh, PA.
James Pierre is now the Steelers longest tenured cornerback having been with the team since 2020, but he's only made 6 starts in his three-year tenure. In his first year in Pittsburgh, Levi Wallace was second to Sutton on the team in starts and led the corners with a career-high four interceptions. His presence and ability to play inside or outside should help the relatively young group.
According to Adamski, Sullivan was playing a ton of nickel in his first time on the field for the Steelers and that's certainly an indicator of where he could play in the future. He played mostly in the slot for the Vikings last season and he very well could figure into the mix of players the team will deploy to replace Sutton's role as a slot, but also outside corner.
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Minnesota Vikings CB Patrick Peterson deflects a pass meant for Arizona Cardinals WR A.J. Green.
The Steelers lauded Peterson's ability to play all over in the secondary and even hinted he could be in line for some reps at safety down the line. It will also be interesting to see how the team decides to deploy the two rookies.
Porter will definitely have eyes on him as he follows the steps of his father. He's certainly got the length to be able to cover some of the big threats teams have on the outside, but will the coaching staff trust him against some of the top talent right away? For Trice, as a seventh-rounder, he might not even be guaranteed a roster spot, but if he can muscle himself onto special teams and have a good offseason, the team could have a gem on their hands.
How do you feel about the revamped group? Do you have more confidence in the cornerback group the team has assembled for 2023?
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