Steelers Host Veteran Slot Cornerback on Visit

The Steelers are hosting veteran slot cornerback Corn Elder on a free-agent visit, according to Aaron Wilson of KPRC2 in Houston.

Elder came into the league in 2017 with the Carolina Panthers as their fifth-round pick out of Miami. Since that time, he has done some hopping around the league but spent most of 2017 through 2021 down in Charlotte with the Panthers. Intermittently, he had stops with the New York Giants and Detroit Lions. However, in 2021, the Washington Commanders signed him off the Panthers practice squad, and Elder joined the team from 2021 to 2022. But he has been unable to find a place to stick following the 2022 season.

In his career, 2020 was the season he saw the most playing time. Elder started most games in the slot for the Panthers that year, racking up 40 tackles, 1 forced fumble, and 3 passes defended in 15 games that season. He played 302 snaps in the slot that season according to Pro Football Focus. Outside of that, he played in 13 games his rookie year, but has not seen much action outside of those games.

Elder was a first-team All-ACC selection at Miami in 2016. Interestingly, Elder played lots of running back prior to joining the Hurricanes and was a basketball star who had high-major offers in both sports. But focused on football after suffering a knee injury.

The Steelers are likely looking for some slot cornerback help after the injury to veteran slot cornerback Duke Dawson. Dawson did not practice on Sunday but walked around without a brace or crutches, which is a good sign for him. However, the severity of the injury is currently unknown despite those promising signs after the injury on Friday. Elder would be another veteran option that could come into the ongoing slot cornerback competition and push others like Chandon Sullivan and Elijah Riley for the job.