After their loss to the Patriots in the playoffs, many pointed to the problems the Steelers had when covering quick receivers working in space running intermediate routes. Last season, the Steelers couldn't use Senquez Golson as he missed his second straight season recovering from an injury.
That left the aging William Gay to play most slot coverage. Gay is the team's most experienced defensive back, and he's been able to play from any cornerback spot in the Steelers' scheme for many years now. His disciplined play shows off his understanding of the team's defense.
While 2015 was a stellar season for Gay, as he didn't give up a single touchdown during that regular season, 2016 showed a decline in his effectiveness in the defensive scheme.
Knowing that and being unsure as to whether Golson could be healthy, General Manager Kevin Colbert brought in reinforcements to address the issue, the first of whom was free agent Coty Sensabaugh.
Sensabaugh has bounced around the league, originally with the Titans and then starting last season with the Rams. But he was cut during the regular season and later signed by the Giants, where he was part of their run to the playoffs.
Despite not being re-signed by the Giants, Sensabaugh did good work for them, even in the postseason. What limits Sensabaugh is that he explicitly plays as a slot corner in all of his footage. There is a strong possibility that this is his limitation, and that can be discouraging to teams looking for cornerbacks who can fill multiple roles.
Watch how effective he is in working against Randall Cobb on this red zone deflection during the playoffs:
Sensabaugh has quick footwork and does a good job of using his hands to keep up with Cobb once his back is to Aaron Rodgers, all without drawing a pass interference penalty.
He won't be a player who adds a bunch of turnovers to the Steelers' stat sheet, but his speed and slot cover skills could be assets.
But Colbert also reached into the draft to bring in Cameron Sutton from Tennessee in the third round. Sutton played all four years at Tennessee and was known for his ability to play any cornerback position in their defense.
Sutton was not only able to win one-on-one assignments in man coverage, but he made calculated plays coming from zone assignments.
Watch how he wins the hand battle against the receiver to force him along the sideline and then runs step-for-step and plays the jump ball perfectly:
Even when playing off-coverage, Sutton showed good instincts for being able to time his play on the ball and keep true to his assignment.
Watch how he starts by watching his receiver from a distance to identify what the route is, then keeps the quarterback in his peripheral vision so that he can make a play on the ball:
Sutton will most likely take time to integrate into the defense, just as it took Artie Burns until midseason of 2016 to become a starter in the Steelers secondary. But if he can translate his knowledge of defensive schemes to an ability to comprehend and apply his assignments, Sutton could quickly become an answer to the Steelers secondary questions.
Still, the answer may already be on the Steelers roster in the form of Golson. Though he has been off the field for the past two seasons, Golson was a stellar athlete who could adjust quickly on the ball once it was in the air in college.
If he can resemble any bit of the turnover threat he posed while at Mississippi, it could make for tighter windows for opposing quarterbacks to target.
When throwing underneath patterns, it is imperative for quarterbacks to put a good bit of velocity on their passes so that defensive backs have little to no time to react. Golson is a prime candidate to jump those types of routes, just as he did here back in 2014:
Notice how smooth and controlled his backpedal is while he watches the quarterback. It makes it easier for him to break on the ball when he reads the comeback pattern and intercepts the pass.
While NFL quarterbacks will present a more difficult challenge on these types of passes, and Golson will still have to prove he can play in the NFL, there is still a chance that he could end up being worth the second-round pick the Steelers invested in him back in 2015.
With these three players who will have their first opportunity to make their name in a Steelers uniform this season, and Gay still being on the roster, the Steelers now have a slew of options at slot cornerback going into training camp.
Keep an eye out for stories on how coverage drills play out and watch closely during preseason games for which players get more time as the nickel cornerback in different situations and how they perform. There will be a lot of first looks to be had for the same position, making for an interesting battle in camp.