Cornerback was a major need for the Pittsburgh Steelers heading into the offseason. While they were able to quickly replace the departure of Cam Sutton with Patrick Peterson, they still had some work to do. General Manager Omar Khan addressed the concerns in a big way, as he scooped up two established Big 10 cornerbacks in the 2023 NFL Draft.
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The Steelers lost Cam Sutton in the early portions of free agency, and he was the team's best cornerback over the past few seasons.
The team seems to have solid depth at the position now, especially after they were able to get Cory Trice Jr. in the seventh round. The slot remains a concern, but otherwise, the position suddenly has some depth. Colin Cowherd and Jason McIntyre of The Herd on Fox Sports aren't completely sold on the position still. When discussing the lack of holes throughout the roster, McIntyre pointed out the CB room.
"Here's a hole: their cornerback situation. Patrick Peterson, who is a fossil at cornerback, and their other guy is a rookie."
While Peterson's age may be a slight concern, he showed that he had plenty of gas left in the tank in 2022 with the Minnesota Vikings. McIntyre also failed to mention Levi Wallace, who will likely start, at least at the beginning of the season. Wallace improved immensely as the 2022 season progressed, as he struggled in the first few weeks. Additionally, the Steelers have not only one, but two talented rookies.
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Steelers cornerback Levi Wallace continues to fly a bit under the radar, as he improved throughout the 2022 campaign.
Should the Steelers trade for another cornerback?
McIntyre wasn't necessarily hesitant on the lack of talent there, but more so the lack of experience from the rookies. Cowherd responded by pointing out that the Kansas City Chiefs relied on multiple rookie cornerbacks in 2022, when they ultimately went on to win the Super Bowl. The Herd proceeded to discuss two possible trade candidates that would make sense for the black and gold.
"Earlier in the show, we talked about the worst teams. We forgot the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, who are gonna be very bad. They do have two good corners, [Jamel] Dean and [Carlton] Davis. If the ship is sinking, are they sellers coming near the trade deadline? This could be a team with some pieces to offload, and maybe Pittsburgh goes shopping. There's a possibility the Steelers can add a cornerback later in the season."
As mentioned, the Bucs are expected to be pretty bad in 2023. With Tom Brady now retired, they will have either Baker Mayfield or Kyle Trask at quarterback. They are projected to compete for a top-five pick in next year's 2024 NFL Draft, which possesses some elite quarterback talents. If you remember, the Steelers were connected to Davis in free agency last offseason.
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The Steelers upset Tom Brady and the Buccaneers in the 2022 regular season.
Unfortunately, he ended up being a bit too expensive for the front office. Davis re-signed with the Bucs on a three-year, $45 million deal. He wasn't nearly as good in 2022, as Pro Football Focus rated him the 55th-best cornerback on the season. His counterpart, Dean, was a free agent this offseason too. The Bucs decided to keep the tandem together, as they re-signed Dean to a four-year, $52 million deal.
PFF actually rated Dean as the 10th-best cornerback in the 2022 campaign, as he had a better year than his teammate. It's hard to imagine the Bucs moving on from their two talented cornerbacks so quickly after signing them to big contracts. Dean, in particular, probably doesn't make much sense given the fact that he just signed a few months ago. Also, he seems to be on an upwards trajectory.
Davis may be the more moveable piece, and if there's anything that we have learned with Omar Khan, it's to expect the unexpected. He loves to be aggressive, as evidenced by the active free agency period. Unless Trice and Joey Porter Jr. really struggle as rookies, cornerback isn't as big of a need as McIntyre may think. Add in the fact that Davis and Dean both possess big contracts, and this doesn't make much sense (as of now at least).
Do you think either of these Buccaneers cornerbacks makes sense for Pittsburgh? Do you agree with McIntyre that cornerback is still a weakness? If you had to choose one, would you take Davis or Dean? Share your thoughts in the comment section below, yinz!
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