Do Steelers Have Enough Talent at Cornerback To Have Dominant Defense in 2025?
While most of the offseason hoopla has been surrounding the offensive side of the ball, conversation involving the Pittsburgh Steelers defense has been put on the back burner.
In what has largely been an annual tradition, Pittsburgh is touting the most expensive unit in the entire NFL, taking up nearly $178M worth of cap space, 14% higher than anyone else.
That type of investment comes with expectations. Even after jettisoning George Pickens south, general manager Omar Khan has reiterated that the team is in pursuit of fielding the best team possible.
“We’re focused on trying to win a championship this year. There’s a lot of time between now and the start of the season,” Khan said.
If there’s anything we’ve learned as a collective since his promotion, it’s to take his words involving personnel with a grain of salt. But in this case, I do believe that both he and the organization as a whole are trying to remain competitive in 2025. For better or worse, it’s simply not in their DNA to tear things down to the studs. But in order for their winning vision to come to fruition, they’re going to need their defense to be better than it was last season. They’ll need to dominate.
The 2024 Steelers defense finished 7th in points per drive, 9th in EPA/play, and 20th in success rate. It was undoubtedly a good, but not great, collective that relied a little too heavily on creating splash in the form of sacks and turnovers. When they ran up against top competition down the stretch, the defense faded, and to no one’s surprise, the team’s success fell off a cliff instantly. Most of the starters return, and the franchise spent their first-round pick on defensive end Derrick Harmon, who should find significant playing time right away.
Fixing the run defense has been a massive point of emphasis, and rightfully so, after the Baltimore Ravens embarrassed them to the tune of 299 rushing yards in their playoff loss. But it’s crucial to remember that the pass defense was just as bad during that final stretch, with the Steelers running into significant issues when their pass rush was nullified.
During their five-game losing streak, the defense allowed 9.1 yards per attempt when the opposing quarterback was kept clean, which was the second-worst mark in the league during that stretch per SIS. Pittsburgh’s entire defensive philosophy is to win with their front four up front. In a vacuum, that approach is sound, but when they haven’t been able to dominate in the trenches, everything seems to fall apart. You need a curveball and we know the scheme itself isn’t likely to change. So, It begs the question whether this cornerback room is actually talented enough to hold up their end of the bargain.
The linchpin of the group is third-year cornerback Joey Porter Jr. This is a player that I was extremely high on after his rookie season, but his sophomore campaign illuminated some areas where further refinement is necessary. His feel in zone coverage is still a work in progress, but the real concern is that he’s garnered a reputation as a penalty magnet after drawing 15 flags last year, the most among all NFL defenders. His ability to hold up on an island in press coverage is valuable, and even if his game is volatile, he’s still a solid starter at the very least. There just needs to be more consistency to reach his ceiling.
Pittsburgh entered free agency with a glaring hole on the opposite side of the field, and instead of opting to open the checkbook for a younger addition, they went with a veteran option in Darius Slay. Even at his age, the film from this past season was quite good. He’s a highly intelligent player and technical savant, but as they say, cornerback is a stopwatch position. With Stephon Gilmore still unsigned on the market, Slay is currently the oldest projected starter in the entire NFL and will be moving to a much more physically demanding scheme. The Steelers didn’t break the bank here, but there is real risk involved because father time is undefeated.
There probably isn’t a team in the NFL that values the slot cornerback position less than this organization, and it’s unclear who will even get the first crack at the starting lineup. Is it Beanie Bishop, the 2024 undrafted free agent? Prior to him losing the gig to Cam Sutton, there were certainly ups and downs. He’s opportunistic with the ball in the air and a reliable tackler but comes with some inherent coverage limitations, partially due to his lack of size and length. Could he take a step forward with more time on task? Possibly, but it’s really dicey to bet on an outlier like this to morph into a starting-caliber player.
The other presumed option to compete for major playing time is Brandin Echols who received extended playing time last season as the New York Jets defense was decimated with injuries. He’s an explosive linear athlete with good closing burst and a quality understanding of leverage, a key element to playing closer to the core. With that being said, most of his playing time in the league has come out wide. There’s some stiffness in his hips, and his skinny frame really prohibits him from playing off blocks on the perimeter. He’s a fine depth piece for the price, but there aren’t many depth charts around the league that would be relying on him to play heavy snaps.
I’m sure that the coaching staff is rooting for Cory Trice to vie for that top backup slot; however, he’s been snake-bitten by the injury bug his entire playing career. His size and physicality make him an attractive dime backer or potential tight end eraser if he can stay on the field. The problem is that there’s not much evidence that he can do that, as unfortunate as it is. Once he was finally healthy enough to suit up, he was baptized by fire against the Bengals’ star receivers in the regular season finale. At this point, Trice should be considered a lottery ticket.
When you break it down piece by piece, this is a group that leaves one with more questions than answers. Sure, there will undoubtedly be weeks where the pass rush is so overwhelming that nothing else will matter. However, I just have a feeling that we will get to the second half of the season and come to a familiar, hapless conclusion that this is ultimately what is preventing them from making that leap from good to great. As Khan has reminded us already, there is plenty of time before the games are played.
It would be wise for him to keep an eye out for more outside help as other rosters begin to take shape.
