Steelers Sign Explosive Ex-Giants Cornerback
The Pittsburgh Steelers have signed explosive former New York Giants cornerback Zyon Gilbert, the team announced on Wednesday.
The Pittsburgh Steelers have signed cornerback Zyon Gilbert, the team announced on Wednesday
The move to sign Gilbert came after the club waived cornerback Kalon Barnes with an injury designation earlier this week.
Gilbert, 25, is a 6-foot, 193-pound cornerback out of Florida Atlantic. He first joined the New York Giants as an undrafted free agent in 2022 and played in three games for New York while making one start. He recorded 14 tackles, one tackle for loss, one sack and one quarterback hit in those three games.
The Giants re-signed Gilbert for 2023, but released him at the end of training camp last summer. He caught on with the Green Bay Packers practice squad on Oct. 25 and spent the rest of the season there, but was not elevated for any games. The Packers re-signed him for 2024, but released Gilbert on July 30.
Of his 73 regular season snaps with the Giants, most of them came as a slot cornerback, with only 10 snaps at outside cornerback, per Pro Football Focus. He did play more outside cornerback in the preseason for the Giants in 2022.
Gilbert started out as a safety at FAU, making the move to cornerback as a senior in 2020. He was a three-time All-Conference USA honorable mention, once as a safety and twice as a senior.
His most productive collegiate season was in 2021, when he recorded 51 tackles, two tackles for loss, one sack, two interceptions, a forced fumble, 12 passes defended and also blocked a kick.
In pre-draft testing, Gilbert showed elite explosiveness with a 40-inch vertical and an 11-foot-6 broad jump, and above-average speed with a 4.49-second 40-yard dash. His overall Relative Athletic Score was an 8.69 out of 10.
Barnes had been playing outside cornerback for the Steelers, so they could plan to use Gilbert there, alongside Anthony Averett, Darius Rush and Cory Trice. They could also want to get a longer look at Thomas Graham, who can play inside and outside, on the boundary, and utilize Gilbert along with Beanie Bishop and Grayland Arnold in the slot.
In addition to announcing the acquisition of Gilbert, the Steelers also made official the signing of wide receiver and kick returner T.J. Luther on Wednesday. The team’s 90-man offseason roster is now full.
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