When you're competing for a job during your rookie contract in the NFL, it helps to stay out of trouble.
Justin Layne was arrested early Friday morning in Willhoughby Hills, Oh., as I confirmed by the Willoughby Municipal Court records. He was charged with speeding, driving with a suspended license and a firearm violation. The code of the firearm charge indicates that Layne knew he had a loaded firearm in his vehicle in a way that the firearm was accessible to him or a passenger without leaving the vehicle, which is against the law.
The vehicle charges involved are misdemeanors with minor fines totaling less than $300 between them, but the firearm charge is a felony.
Despite being a 2019 third round pick by the Steelers, Layne has yet to make a significant impact. He only played 93 special teams snaps as a rookie. Then in 2020 he got his first NFL snaps playing cornerback with 117 plays on defense and 261 on special teams.
He finished 2020 with 22 tackles, but allowed 10 receptions on the 12 times he was targeted for a total of 147 yards, including a 42-yard play against the Browns in the Steelers' regular season finale.
That didn't help his standing with the team, as even with Joe Haden out of action due to COVID-19 protocols in the Steelers' playoff loss to the Browns, the Steelers didn't use Layne. Instead, they gave eight snaps to undrafted rookie James Pierre, who was only targeted once and had decent coverage enough to force an incomplete pass.
Eight snaps and a single target don't guarantee anything for Pierre and three charges don't doom Layne. He still has the athleticism to play cornerback, but his time will start running out if he can't turn things around in 2021. The Steelers may add a cornerback in this NFL Draft that further pushes their depth chart after Steven Nelson was released into free agency.
If nothing else, Layne being arrested throws a red flag on his profile that he'll have to work past when the Steelers go to Saint Vincent College for training camp in a few months.
