Steelers Have Versatile Boom or Bust CB

PITTSBURGH — The competition for spots in the Pittsburgh Steelers’ secondary is one of the most intriguing battles of their upcoming training camp. Five spots are guaranteed at cornerback and safety, with Joey Porter Jr, Darius Slay, Jalen Ramsey, Juan Thornhill and special teams ace Miles Killebrew expected to make the team.

That leaves at minimum four more spots for the Steelers to fill. They usually carry five or six cornerbacks and four or five more safeties. One of the players expected to secure a depth role in 2025 is free agent addition Brandin Echols. The former New York Jets’ defensive back has boom or bust potential for the Steelers in his first year with the franchise.

Echols is entering his fifth season in the NFL. He’s been a spot starter and versatile extra DB in sub-packages for the entirety of his career. Possessing a combination of speed and ability to fill multiple roles, that’s surely what attracted the Steelers to him. He played over 400 snaps for the Jets in 2024, stepping in at times as an injury replacement for Sauce Gardener and DJ Reed on the outside. He also played snaps in the slot.

That’s encouraging news for the Steelers. The slot corner position is of particular interest. The organization has three options to pursue. One is to move newly acquired superstar Jalen Ramsey into the slot. Another is to go back to second-year corner Beanie Bishop. Lastly, they could hand the job to Echols and let the Swiss-army knife try to establish himself in a permanent starter’s role.

What also stands out about Echols is his ability to create turnovers, even in limited uses. As the defender, he was targeted with 40 pass attempts in 2024. He allowed 24 receptions for a completion rate of 60%. On those 40 pass attempts, he successfully defended three of them and created two interceptions. That type of turnover production could be a huge addition to the Steelers, who struggled to get consistent turnovers from their secondary in 2024.

Unfortunately, there is a bust component to Echols’ game. Last season, there were multiple times when Echols was exposed for his coverage flaws. On the 24 receptions he allowed, the receivers generated 324 yards and three touchdowns. Opposing quarterbacks held a passer rating of 90.0 when targeting Echols.

That’s not exactly the results you want to see from someone playing 400 snaps or more on your defense.

The other issue is the contract. The Steelers signed Echols to a two-year deal in the offseason for a total of $6 million. Carrying an average value of $3 million, he must live up to being one of the higher-paid defensive backs on the team. That’s why he was recently named as a cut candidate as training camp nears.

The Steelers are searching for answers in the secondary. Echols was brought in to help improve the depth, but the opportunity to be more is there for the taking. The fifth-year DB must become more boom than bust for the Steelers, and that will pave the way to him being an important contributor in 2025.