Pittsburgh Steelers cornerback Joey Porter Jr. looked like a future bona fide lock down corner in his rookie campaign, allowing just one touchdown, according to Pro Football Focus. There’s still things to be worked on, but he should take off in his second year and enter Pro Bowl discussions, and maybe even All-Pro.
The Steelers have a massive hole at the opposite cornerback position, however. They need to pair Porter with an elite talent. Veteran Patrick Peterson and Levi Wallace, who’s set to become a free agent next week, were major liabilities at times in 2023. Wallace most likely won’t be brought back and Peterson could be a cap casualty if he doesn’t restructure his deal.
Jared Dublin of CBS Sports thinks veteran corner Stephon Gilmore would be a good fit with the Steelers. Gilmore, 33, is not the same player that he was in 2019 when he won NFL Defensive Player of the Year as a New England Patriot, but he was solid in Dallas last season, recording two interceptions and 13 passes defended.
“Pittsburgh has had a lot of success with mid-to-late career veteran corners coming in and getting a few more years’ worth of solid play out of them. Gilmore had another strong year in Dallas last season but with a new scheme and a lot of balls up in the air there, some other team could swoop in and make a play for him,” Dublin wrote.
The Steelers were hoping that Peterson would be a Joe Haden-like signing, but that really never occurred in 2023. He played better as the year went on, but it’s clear that he doesn’t possess the same speed that he once did, which is why safety might be a better position for him now.
The Steelers need to get faster in the secondary, so signing a soon-to-be 34-year-old cornerback might not be the best option. But, if they do bring in Gilmore, it certainly would be an upgrade from Peterson and Wallace. He wouldn’t be a long-term solution, but Gilmore would be a good veteran to help mold Porter and whoever the Steelers decide to select in the draft.
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