Carter's Classroom: This just might be a Sensabaugh slot solution

The Steelers' free agent acquisition of Coty Sensabaugh may have been the move that ended speculation on whether the team would consider selecting a cornerback in the 2017 NFL Draft.

Sensabaugh is a journeyman NFL defensive back that enters his sixth season in the league. The Steelers will be his fourth team in those six seasons, but it's been Sensabaugh's ability to adapt to various schemes that made him the guy Kevin Colbert and Mike Tomlin wanted for the depth chart.

Considering the Steelers' problems covering slot receivers with William Gay in the AFC Championship Game, the cornerback position appeared to still need work despite the investments of first- and second-round picks in the last two drafts.

Sensabaugh's talent is specifically that job, signifying that's exactly what the Steelers were looking to improve at with their move.

We get into his tape to give you an idea of what Sensabaugh will be bringing to the table:



Sensabaugh boasts frame for a prototypical slot cornerback. His 5-11, 189-pound build allows for him to matchup with the average slot receiver, especially smaller ones like Julian Edelman, and his speed will allow him to keep up with the faster players.

He ran a 4.42 40-yard dash out of college but never found a home in the NFL after only starting one season during his rookie contract with the Titans, then playing sparingly for the Rams before being cut and picked up by the Giants last season.

While the fact that he was cut from a team midseason just last year might be alarming, his tape should help you understand why the Steelers felt he would be good for depth.

SPEED AGAINST THE SLOT

Focusing on what Sensabaugh's strength is first will provide you insight as to why the Steelers were interested in him. He earned regular slot coverage duties exclusively wherever he went, and that got tested a lot when the Giants went up against the Packers in the playoffs.

Watch how he is able to stick with Randall Cobb without ever using his hands to engage or redirect the receiver. Cobb isn't a spectacular player, but he's a very agile talent that has developed a good chemistry with one of the most elite quarterbacks in Aaron Rodgers:



Sensabaugh's style of coverage is that he runs at a pace that allows him to react to receivers' movements without exerting himself as he waits but still moving at a good pace.

He seems to have a good head on his shoulders for being able to stick to very fundamental coverage when given good man-coverage assignments and not letting his feet get him into trouble.

PROBLEMS AGAINST BIGGER RECEIVERS

Where that comes back to bite Sensabaugh is when he goes up against physical receivers, as his tape did show him getting bullied on several occasions.

Here he faces Anquan Boldin on third down, and his press technique leaves him vulnerable to a simple inside move that gets him boxed-out from making any play on this ball:



What I noticed with Sensabaugh is that while he would do a good job remaining in his man-coverage assignments and keeping his feet solid, he often lost battles when he challenged receivers with his upper body. Players like Boldin and Brandon Marshall would be able to muscle through him in tight spots and make catches in traffic more routine.

ROLE PLAYER

Another trait that I did like when watching Sensabaugh was how he seemed to have an idea of where he fit in against the run in the various schemes he played.

Watch how he plays the edge here and sacrifices himself to take out the lead blocker on the play while also managing to trip up Darren Sproles:



The questions I have for Sensabaugh's football IQ comes when he has to drop back into zone coverages that might alter during a given play. But here against the run and other plays that I watched, Sensabaugh seemed to have a good sense of gap responsibility for a slot cornerback.

BIGGEST HIGHLIGHT

In his five seasons of play, Sensabaugh only has two interceptions, one of which he returned for a score. One was off a tipped pass, the other we have highlighted below.

If you remember two seasons ago, Jameis Winston's first NFL pass was an interception returned for a touchdown. The beneficiary of said play was Sensabaugh, who had done a solid job of reading the out route of his assigned receiver and being in place to see the ball coming the whole way:



I doubt that Sensabaugh would have many plays like this for the Steelers, but quick underneath man coverage in the slot is something that could change up the team's defensive look in key situations.

OVERALL

Sensabaugh still has to show that he can be adept at switching between schemes while on the field. If called into action, the Steelers will most likely ask him to play both man and zone schemes so as to keep quarterbacks guessing.

If Sensabaugh doesn't show that he can make those pre-snap adjustments or even to be competent in zone coverage, that means the Steelers might only feel comfortable putting him on the field for man coverage situations, which would end up being a tell that studious quarterbacks and coordinators could pick on.

But that's a bridge the team may never have to cross, so the focus for now is seeing how the team does with Artie Burns, Ross Cockrell and if Senquez Golson can ever be healthy enough to see a single NFL snap.

Ultimately signing Sensabaugh seemed like an insurance policy if Golson ends up never coming to fruition and the Steelers don't end up wasting the second-round pick it took to bring in Golson along with whatever pick they would have used on a cornerback had they not signed Sensabaugh.

It makes sense for now, but we'll have to see how he works with defensive backs coach Carnell Lake. Expect Sensabaugh to be like Brice McCain in his short time with the Steelers; quick, fast and able to pounce on a play that he reads, but a spot player for the secondary that won't be a pivotal player in pass coverage.