Steel City Blitz
With Training Camp about two weeks away, I’m going to examine a series of questions that fans seem to be discussing. The Pittsburgh Steelers, like every other team in the NFL, have interesting decisions and potential ones to consider. Today’s topic is the Nickel Cornerback.
Patrick Graham, the new defensive coordinator for the Steelers, will have options as to who plays the slot corner. In today’s game, the position is very much a starting job as more and more offenses go with three wide receiver sets. Jalen Ramsey will be a candidate as will Brandin Nichols. They would be the likely “front runners” as of now but there are things to consider.
As I find myself saying all the time with this team, “the new staff is going to do things differently and guys they like may not be the ones we expect” so I have to keep this in mind. Do they see someone like Asante Samuel, Jr getting a look there? Donte Kent was a late round pick last year but struggled with injuries. Is this his time? What about rookie free agent Devan Boykin from Indiana? He is a classic run stopping slot corner with safety flexibility.
The question I believe we all have is will it be one guy or will it be a combination of players? When William Gay and Mike Hilton were here the job was largely theirs. This is a very different time now however. Graham definitely favored a two-deep safety alignment during OTAs and it seems likely that will continue to be his “base.” That still doesn’t answer our overall question however but it could depending on who those two deep guys are.
Once we get through a good part of Training Camp and a Preseason game or two, we should have an idea of how Graham wants to deploy his troops. The time spent under Bill Belichick and better personnel than he had in Las Vegas should allow him to be more creative. I don’t see this being one guy’s job in 2026. I firmly believe that we will see Ramsey there, Echols there and even Jaquan Brisker there at times. Down and distance will play crucial role in this as will the type of personnel the opponent is using.
A good nickel cornerback has the ability to play the run well, blitz efficiently, cover in man-to-man situations and understand principles of zone coverage. I’m not certain the Steelers currently possess a guy that can do all of those things equally well so the combination approach feels right in my mind.
The post Steelers Training Camp Questions; Who is the Nickel Corner? appeared first on Steel City Blitz.
