The Pittsburgh Steelers were extremely quiet for the majority of the first day of the NFL's legal tampering period on Monday. Several teams around the league were making splash moves, while Pittsburgh allowed one of their own to slip away as Cameron Sutton plans to sign with the Detroit Lions. Fans were deeply concerned with the team's strategy until a rather surprising development came about late in the afternoon. The organization agreed to terms with eight-time Pro Bowl cornerback, Patrick Peterson.
Peterson certainly brings a veteran presence to the room and will help a rather inexperienced cornerback room. The loss of Sutton stung, but the addition of a three-time All-Pro doesn't hurt. He might be about to enter his age-33 season, but the ball hawk can still play. He had the second most interceptions of his career in 2022 with five.
Peterson, who has never played a season without at least one interception, will come in and be the team's top guy on the depth chart, but the question looms about what the team plans to do other than him. Levi Wallace, Ahkello Witherspoon, James Pierre and Arthur Maulet aren't exactly in the conversation for better corners in the game.
Many mock drafts have had the Steelers going after a cornerback in the first round of the 2023 NFL Draft, while also having the expectation that Sutton would return. That wasn't a fair assumption, but the team still addressed the position. Now, what will they do in April when they could have several options at pick #17?
Steelers Should Still Target Cornerback Early In 2023 NFL Draft
It's no secret that the cornerback position is still a weakness for the franchise, even with the signing of Peterson. This also just happens to be one of the deepest cornerback classes in years. Selecting a rookie who can play on the other aside of the newest member of the defense seems like a solid move.
The hope is that a young defender can come in and have a similar effect that Ahmad 'Sauce' Gardner had for the New York Jets during his first season in 2022. The biggest concern, however, is that Pittsburgh has not necessarily been known to make the right pick at the position in a long time.
There are two new faces to the mix that could absolutely change the trajectory of the organization's draft history. Former Super Bowl champion and cornerback, Ike Taylor is now a member of the scouting department and was arguably the last guy fans had the utmost confidence in when he took the field.
The second person that could be a huge help is assistant general manager, Andy Wiedl. He is a big reason why the Philadelphia Eagles have played in two Super Bowls the last six years. He is known for his talent evaluation and can bring a different approach when it comes to the cornerback room specifically.
Bringing in Peterson should have no effect on the Steelers' draft plans. Cornerback is still a huge area of need and given the stout class this is expected to be, an early pick at the position is nowhere near out of the question.
Do you still want to see the Steelers take a cornerback early in the 2023 NFL Draft?
More must-reads: