Steelers ready to trot out seasoned cornerback group for opener at Cincinnati
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When the Pittsburgh Steelers last faced the Cincinnati Bengals, their cornerback room was in a state of flux.
Veteran Joe Haden was out with a Lisfranc injury. Cameron Sutton was in his first year starting at the other outside spot. Undrafted free agent James Pierre replaced Haden as a starter, first-year Steelers corner Ahkello Witherspoon took snaps for the second time since being inactive for seven weeks in a row and Arthur Maulet, who had never played slot corner, was used in the nickel package.
The cornerback play wasn’t the biggest offender in a 41-10 loss in Cincinnati — the Steelers allowed 198 yards rushing — but the group is more stabilized and experienced heading into the season opener Sunday at Paycor Stadium.
Although the unit lacks Haden’s experience and Pro Bowl pedigree, the Steelers have Sutton back as one starter. Witherspoon will be the other, having started three games in the second half last year and the playoff loss at Kansas City.
The Steelers also added Levi Wallace in free agency and brought back Maulet, providing depth that didn’t exist a year ago. The depth is such that Pierre is an afterthought and figures to play exclusively on special teams against the Bengals.
“We have a talented group,” said Witherspoon, who returned to the Steelers in free agency on a two-year contract. “All of us can play football at a high level. I’m excited to take that into the season and compete with those dudes.”
In the offseason, training camp and preseason, the Steelers took a multi-pronged approach to replacing Haden, whose fifth season with the organization was his last. Sutton, Witherspoon and Wallace, who started 45 games over the past three seasons with the Buffalo Bills, rotated between the two outside spots.
To keep all three on the field at the same time, Sutton moved inside in passing situations. The Steelers also rotated in Maulet until he was injured in the preseason.
“I like how they work together,” defensive coordinator Teryl Austin said about Sutton, Witherspoon and Wallace. “They communicate well. … I think those guys know how to rise to a challenge. I think they understand the defense and in where their success is going to come and how they can put themselves in good position.”
The starting trio isn’t exactly being eased into the season. Against the Bengals, the Steelers cornerbacks will encounter Ja’Marr Chase, Tee Higgins and Tyler Boyd — perhaps the AFC’s most talented starting group of receivers. Chase was named NFL Offensive Rookie of the Year after amassing 1,455 receiving yards and 13 touchdowns. Higgins had his first 1,000-yard season, and Boyd has achieved a pair of 1,000-yard seasons since leaving Pitt and Clairton.
“I think our guys are looking for the challenge of any game. It doesn’t matter who, we’re just getting in there and performing at a high level and giving our team a chance to win,” Austin said. “I think that’s the most important thing our guys work toward. Who we’re playing against doesn’t matter because you have to bring a consistent high-level performance every week.”
Wallace played 92% of the defensive snaps last year in Buffalo when he started all 17 games. Transitioning into a rotation with Witherspoon and Sutton was an adjustment for the fifth-year veteran.
“I have never done it to this extent,” Wallace said. “We have a bunch of different personnel, but honestly it has been fun. In Buffalo, we had just the base and nickel for most of the time. To have those different personnel groups where you switch it up and match positions, it excites me. It’s something I’m glad we do here.”
Witherspoon is looking forward to his first full season as a starter with the Steelers. He hasn’t started double-digit games since 2018 when he was with the San Francisco 49ers. Because he joined the Steelers nine days before the season opener last year, Witherspoon had to adjust to a new system, which explains his inactivity for the first half of the season.
But after Pierre struggled against the Bengals in Week 12, Witherspoon started the next two weeks while Haden continued to heal.
He entered the offseason not concerned with which cornerback spot he played.
“My side is on the other side of the white line that is on the football field and not on the sidelines,” he said. “That is what side I prefer.”
Witherspoon has settled in at the left cornerback spot. Sutton will man the other in the base defense until he moves inside in certain nickel packages. Maulet will figure into the equation, and safety Tre Norwood has been used in the dime package.
“It’s beneficial for us,” Witherspoon said of the secondary’s versatility. “We can use that to disguise coverages. It also makes it more challenging for (opponents) to do their job, and that helps us do our jobs.”