Jaguars, Bears Interested in Former Steelers CB

The Chicago Bears and Jacksonville Jaguars are each interested in former Steelers cornerback Arthur Maulet, Jeremy Fowler of ESPN reports.

Maulet, was cut by the Steelers in May, and has been in free agency ever since. But the Jaguars and Bears are interested in him and have inquired about him. The slot cornerback who specializes in blitzing and can play safety as well should have a spot on a roster in the NFL.

In his tenure with the Steelers, Maulet racked up one interception, 4 pass deflections, 2 forced fumbles, and 106 tackles overall. The Steelers signed Chandon Sullivan during the NFL Draft and he is now in line to be the likely starter at slot cornerback. Sullivan played previously with the Green Bay Packers and Minnesota Vikings.

Sullivan, 26, is a five-year NFL veteran. The 5-foot-11, 189-pound cornerback first joined the Philadelphia Eagles as an undrafted free agent from Georgia State in 2018, where he played for current Steelers assistant general manager Andy Weidl. In those five seasons in the NFL, Sullivan played over 2000 snaps inside at the slot.

Meanwhile, Maulet has a specific skillset that should entice some teams to really be interested in him. The Bears have lacked pass rush juice, and adding a specific slot cornerback like Maulet could be an interesting add to the mix. According to Fowler, Maulet is weighing options but will end up with a team by the time their training camp starts.

One way the Steelers can help replace what Maulet did as well relates to their safeties. The team debuted a three-safety Heavy Nickel package in 2022 that looks to get more run in 2023, with Keanu Neal plying the role of a box safety. They could also give more playing time to 2022 Dime defensive back Tre Norwood, a 2021 seventh-round pick that has played in the slot in addition to backing up free safety Minkah Fitzpatrick.