Steelers CB Levi Wallace Preparing to Leave Pittsburgh

Pittsburgh Steelers cornerback Levi Wallace did not have the 2023 he envisioned. After a tough start to the season, Wallace was relegated to the dime cornerback and stayed there for most of the season as Joey Porter Jr. soared as one of the best rookie cornerbacks in football.

Wallace appeared on Good Morning Football on Friday morning and was asked about his impending free agent status. He did not seem to be expecting to return.

“It feels good, man,” Wallace said. “This is not the first time for me doing this, so it’s always exciting. There’s new opportunities and a new team. So, I look forward to the process and going somewhere and being a good part of that defense as well.”

The Steelers released Patrick Peterson on Friday. Peterson started the season as the starting outside cornerback alongside Wallace. Porter replaced Wallace midway through the season, with Peterson sliding to the inside on passing downs and Wallace playing outside. Then, when several safety injuries hit, Peterson moved to safety and became the starter there for the team’s stretch run.

But now, Wallace, Peterson, Chandon Sullivan, and James Pierre are all free agents. While Porter is an anchor, second-year player Cory Trice Jr. is returning from a torn ACL and Darius Rush is an athletic upside gamble. But this is a position of need that the Steelers must look at heavily.

Wallace has a journey that is to be commended. He walked on at Alabama and was undrafted out of Alabama. But earned playing time with the Buffalo Bills before joining the Steelers. That same chip has carried him to where he is now, but his struggles this past season are likely leading to this moment where he will find a new home for the 2024 season. Pittsburgh will have to figure out how to replace nearly that entire room, and it seems likely to come from multiple avenues.