The Pittsburgh Steelers have a few positions they could definitely shore up ahead of the 2024 season, with wide receiver being the biggest of the bunch. But there is also a need at the cornerback position.
Pittsburgh is set to deploy Joey Porter Jr. and Donte Jackson on the boundary, but their slot cornerback role has a question mark in rookie Beanie Bishop, who had a strong training camp but struggled during the preseason.
With that in mind, Bleacher Report’s Alex Ballentine suggests the Steelers sign four-time Pro Bowler and former All-Pro cornerback Xavien Howard in free agency. Here’s his thoughts:
Another week, another suggestion that the Steelers do something to address their secondary. This is a team that is going to win games with defense and the lack of depth in the defensive backfield is downright scary. Joey Porter Jr. is a promising starter after a good rookie year. They traded for Donte Jackson to be the other outside corner and Beanie Bishop Jr. has stood out in camp in the slot.
After that, it’s Darius Rush and Cory Trice Jr. on the active roster. Xavien Howard is the best cornerback available. They’d have to kick someone inside to form a new starting trio but it would be a drastic improvement over what they have.
General manager Omar Khan has just $ 8.6 million to work with, according to Over the Cap, but that should be enough to bring Howard in. The veteran also won’t require a commitment past this year.
The problem with this idea is Howard is not a slot cornerback, which would mean the Steelers would have to put Jackson in the middle if they want to have a trio of he, Porter Jr. and Howard.
But Jackson has just 173 snaps in the slot during his career, as compared to 3,689 on the boundary, according to Pro Football Focus, so that would be a significant change for him.
What Jackson does have is the right size (5-foot-10, 180 pounds) and speed (4.32 40-yard dash) to make the transition, so it’s not crazy to think he could find some success there if the Steelers were to go that route.
Considering the current situation, this might be an avenue the Steelers have to take, but chances are Bishop is going to get an opportunity first before Pittsburgh makes a significant move like signing Howard.
