All 90 is a Pittsburgh Steelers Now series profiling each of the 90 members of the Steelers 2021 offseason roster.
35 • Arthur Maulet, fifth-year defensive back
5-foot-9, 190 pounds
Acquired: Signed by the Steelers as a street free agent on May 7, 2021.
Last season: Maulet played in 11 games with the New York Jets, making five starts and lining up all over the defensive secondary, with 247 snaps at slot corner, 109 at free safety, 27 as a box safety and 15 as an outside corner, per Pro Football Focus.
Maulet finished with 29 tackles, five passes defended, one interception and one quarterback hit.
Career: Maulet signed with his hometown New Orleans Saints as an undrafted free agent in 2017 and spent his first pro season hopping between the Saints’ active roster and practice squad, playing in six games but making just one tackle.
In 2018, he waived by the Saints after one game, claimed by the Indianapolis Colts, and then put back on waivers after five games in Indy. He re-signed with the Saints practice squad and spent the rest of the season there.
The Jets scooped up Maulet on Jan. 29 ahead of the 2019 season and gave him his first real playing time, as he appeared in 12 games and made 38 tackles, defended two passes, had an interception and returned a fumble for a touchdown.
College: A two-year starter at Memphis after transferring from a junior college, Maulet was the Tigers’ team MVP in his senior season in 2016. He finished that year with 73 total tackles, 7.5 tackles for loss and 4.5 sacks, along with a team-high 13 passes defended and two interceptions.
Camp outlook: With backup free safety Sean Davis moving on in free agency, and sometimes safety Cam Sutton now looking to be penciled in as a regular starter at outside corner, Maulet will come into camp as the most experienced potential backup to Minkah Fitzpatrick at that spot, with second-year man Antoine Brooks Jr. and rookie Tre Norwood providing the competition.
Those two players are also in the mix for reps as the slot corner, where 2020 top performers Sutton and Mike Hilton will no longer play. Second-year man Justin Layne and rookie free agent corners Shakur Brown and Mark Gilbert are also in the mix at that spot.
At one place or the other, Maulet appears to be in a good position to make the roster, as the Steelers kept 10 defensive backs in 2020, with a far more settled established rotation than exists right now.
Future: Maulet will be an unrestricted free agent after the season.
The rest of the 90:
