A Steelers Recipe For Off-Season Success Begins And Ends At 1 Specific Position

The first month and a half of the off-season has been an extremely quiet one for the Pittsburgh Steelers. The coaching staff added former player, Aaron Curry to lead the linebacking core with Brian Flores leaving to run the defense for the Minnesota Vikings. The franchise also lost longtime assistant coach, John Mitchell to retirement. Things will begin to heat up as free agency starts in March, followed by the 2023 NFL Draft in April. Everyone has their own thoughts about what is most important, but it has to be hard for everyone not to look at the cornerback room and worry as of this moment. 

The offensive and defensive lines need to be replenished and it's not going to hurt to add an inside linebacker or two, either. Right now, however, looking at what the secondary could potentially look like heading into training camp, it is not a proven group. Certain AFC offenses would torch them through the air.

William Jackson III is expected to be released due to his cap hit of over $12 million. If the franchise lets Cameron Sutton hit the free agency market, he could be lured out of Pittsburgh if given the right contract. The Steelers were comfortable letting Mike Hilton walk a few years ago because Sutton could and would replace him, but now that Sutton's on the outside, he's even more valuable.

Being left with only James Pierre, Arthur Maulet, Levi Wallace and Ahkello Witherspoon wouldn't exactly be the strongest cornerback group in the league.

The first order of business needs to be re-signing Sutton. The lateral move to open up the financial space is likely releasing Jackson III. This is a key step in fortifying the secondary, as well as bringing a consistent piece back who knows the system. If this can't be accomplished, the cornerback position is going to need a ton of help and it could make up to be a key weakness for the defense.

Sutton played in all but one game in 2022 and was one of the main contributors helping the Steelers to lead the league in interceptions. He was third on the team with three. No one loses if he comes back. He gets a nice pay day, stays with the team that drafted him and the defense lets out a big sigh of relief.

It doesn't stop there though. The organization isn't exactly known for drafting top tier talent at the cornerback position. Sutton is one of the only bright spots in the 21st century. With that said, an external free agent at the position is probably not realistic and the draft has an extremely deep cornerback class.

Steelers Target A Witherspoon Not Named Ahkello?

If Pittsburgh is able to get Sutton re-signed, the draft could and should be the next time they target a cornerback. There is no telling where University of Illinois shutdown cornerback, Devon Witherspoon will fall in the first round, but he could be a great option due to his range and speed. He is arguably the best 2023 corner.

Other names like Christian Gonzalez from University of Oregon and Joey Porter Jr. from Penn State University should looked out for as well.

It comes down to the fact that the Steelers cornerback room is going to be extremely thin after the inevitable release of Jackson III. Step one is securing Sutton and the next part of the puzzle is breaking the trend and drafting a top-notch, shutdown corner. Other positions are important, of course, but Pittsburgh has no shot in a star-studded AFC without a strong secondary to shut down passing games.