From Buffalo to Pittsburgh, new Steelers cornerback Levi Wallace is not going to have a simple switch to the Steelers’ playbook. Learning a new defense for a veteran cornerback like Wallace can be a bit jarring at times, but he is singularly focused on learning the plays in May.
Still, something that can help ease the transition from one team to another is the room of guys the new guy is surrounded by when they arrive. Wallace is surrounded by Ahkello Witherspoon, Cam Sutton, Minkah Fitzpatrick, Terrell Edmunds, and others. It is that relationships and camaraderie that have been fostered amongst the group that is making Wallace so excited. With the Steelers likely counting on Wallace to be one of their outside cornerbacks moving forward, those relationships he has will be integral to communication on and off the field.
“I love how together everybody is,” Wallace said via Steelers.com. “Thus far I’ve learned that I love the grittiness that they play with. They’re always on the same page. They communicate really well. There are no egos in the room which I really appreciate. This is a great group of guys.”
It can seem like something small at first, but communication is of the utmost importance in the secondary. With how much match coverages the Steelers play, that makes it even more important. It means that conflicts off the field can become the issues that plague the secondary on the field. Wallace does not see that happening with this group and even went as far as to note just how much being egoless matters in the secondary.
“It just makes a huge difference,” Wallace said. “We are all just out there trying to win. During 2020, during COVID, when guys were in and out, up and down, you never knew who was in, the standard had to be the standard. Whoever is the starter, the backup, even the third-stringers, you never know. Everyone in the secondary has to be on the same page. That’s the biggest lesson I’ve learned. We all want each other to be successful and then we can go from there.”
Wallace will be using OTAs and the offseason training to get into sync with the rest of the secondary. They lost their elder statesman in Joe Haden after the Steelers let him walk. Still, 4 out of the 5 starting players in the secondary are back from last season, and that is important for the Steelers. Wallace, especially, will be aided by the help of everyone that is around him with experience.