Steelers Sign Former Vikings Cornerback

The Steelers are signing Nevelle Clarke, a former Vikings cornerback, and a cornerback currently in the USFL with the New Orleans Breakers, according to Aaron Wilson of KPRC2.

This is the first signing for the Breakers out of the USFL so far this year. With the team, he picked off two passes and racked up 26 tackles. Clarke played for two seasons with the Breakers. In 2021, he played in the Spring League with the Generals before finding his landing spot in the USFL.

Coming out of UCF in 2020, he did not get drafted, but inked an undrafted free-agent contract with the Minnesota Vikings. While there, he competed for a job in training camp but was cut from the team during their final cut-downs. He has since then not been able to find a way back into the NFL until now. Clarke has garnered some workouts this offseason, however, including one with the New York Giants.

While with the Knights, Clarke earned first-team All-AAC honors in his redshirt Junior season. That year, he garnered praise for his ball skills with two interceptions and 13 pass breakups. Clarke participated in the East-West Shrine Bowl when coming out in 2020.

The team reportedly hosted veteran slot cornerback Corn Elder for a visit earlier today. 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.

The Steelers seem to be in the market for cornerback help. Part of it could be related to Duke Dawson’s injury, but another part of it could be that the team is not satisfied with the room they currently have on the roster. As such, the team seems to be scouring the market for some options.