Carter's Classroom: Haden's grip will prove key

The Steelers' signing of Joe Haden changes the entire outlook of the team's secondary. The cornerback position has been the bane of the defense for years while management addressed other positions with first-round draft picks.

Now with Haden across from Artie Burns, the Steelers will have two players who were drafted in the first round starting at corner for the first time in the Mike Tomlin era.

We take a look at what the Steelers now have in the 28-year-old Haden:



Haden burst onto the scene with six interceptions as a rookie and made back-to-back Pro Bowls in 2013 and 2014. For many years, he was a premier cornerback in the NFL.

But after two seasons riddled with injures, missing 11 games in 2015 and three games in 2016, Haden's production has declined.

Haden made his name in the NFL for attacking the ball aggressively and relying on his footwork to stick with quick receivers in order to make plays on the ball.

Since his injury in 2015, Haden's aggressiveness and reliance on his footwork have started to backfire. For as long as I have watched Haden, I have been impressed by his ability to cover receivers without using his hands well.

When the Steelers traded to get Justin Gilbert, another first round pick at cornerback that the Browns didn't want, I did this on his work with the team. One of the things I noticed was how Gilbert relied too much on using his hands to slow up receivers.

While Gilbert had poor footwork and relied on his hands to make up for it, Haden was the complete opposite with elite footwork and the reluctance to use his hands.

While that might have worked before, Haden's reluctance to use his hands has been more of a liability against faster receivers.

Here's him against Nelson Agholor in the season opener last year. Notice how he is fooled by the initial move, and once he gives up the outside, he doesn't have the makeup speed to close down the passing window Agholor opens up:



For whatever reason Haden does this, it's a trend that probably won't be shaken in his time with the Steelers. Whether he's covering a receiver outside the numbers or in the slot, Haden prefers purely to use his feet to react to opponents rather than add his hands to the mix.

Here's him against Jordan Matthews in the same game getting beat on a crossing route:



But give Haden credit, he does keep up with Matthews despite getting beat off the line, forcing Carson Wentz to throw a good leading pass.

Here's an example of when Haden did use his hands, but in a passive manner that didn't dictate anything to Matthews. Normally, a good cornerback would use his inside hand to deter his opponent from taking an inside route:



What is noteworthy is how Haden sticks with Matthews and tackles him immediately, before he can gain any yards after the catch. That has to resonate well with the traditional style of cornerback play the Steelers have coached.

When you can't be in position to make a play on the ball, at least make an immediate tackle to limit yards and live to fight another down.

Watch him do just that when the Patriots tried to use a rub route to clear a path for Julian Edelman to score in the flat. Haden avoids the traffic and is able to get to his spot in time to break down, wrap Edelman with his arms and slow him up to wait for help:



While Haden may not be fast enough to keep up with the NFL's fastest speedsters, he still has the speed to make plays in the NFL, against both the pass and the run.

Even when he cannot make the traditional wrap-and-tackle style of stop, Haden is resourceful in stopping ball carriers. Here he is chasing down Edelman on a reverse from the other side of the field:



Not only is Haden's speed to get to Edelman impressive, but his immediate recognition of what is going on and where he has to attack to stop the play cannot be understated.

Haden's knack for not giving up on a play makes him an unsung hero in many situations. Watch how he recovers on a play that should have been a simple completion on an out route to Matthews:



While the pass is delayed due to a bobbled snap and the ball is thrown a little behind Matthews, it's still a solid hustle play on Haden's part.

Haden does show the ability to recover from being beat on initial moves, and still has very good instincts to prevent him from being put in bad situations.

All three of his interceptions in 2016 came against Joe Flacco. This is another asset that the Steelers have in Haden -- he is familiar with two of the offenses they will face in key games with the Ravens and Bengals.

Haden still has the speed to keep up with fast receivers like Breshad Perriman of the Ravens.

Perriman runs a simple go route without a solid false move at the line of scrimmage, which allows Haden to run with him and find the ball for the interception:



Haden does everything in a pretty textbook manner even without using his hands to press the wide receiver. His hands do solid work when he high-points the ball for the interception.

Part of what made Haden's strong reputation has been his natural ability for finding the ball quickly, attacking it and being able to make interceptions.

Those natural ball instincts will be what the Steelers hope to rely upon for some big interceptions in 2017. Haden has run a lot of man coverage schemes but also plays well in a zone, something which the Steelers ask their cornerbacks to do often.

Here's Haden playing off coverage and reading a post pattern by Steve Smith that he cuts off for the interception:



Learning the Steelers' defense may take a couple weeks for Haden, but his natural skills as a cornerback will make him an interesting piece in the defense along with Burns.

If Haden can become a reliable player who can take away receiving options from opponents, the Steelers might have the means to run more man coverage schemes and play more aggressive pass defense.