A lot of the talk surrounding the Pittsburgh Steelers in the 2024 offseason has been around the quarterback position. It’s a fair discussion to have, given an underwhelming two-year start to Kenny Pickett’s career. There are several others areas, however, that need to be addressed if the franchise wants to be a legitimate threat in the AFC. The lines on both side of the ball need to be a focus, as well as the wide receiver, linebacker and cornerback positions. With the new league year rapidly approaching, fans will begin to get some answers when free agency and any possible trade talks heat up.
An intriguing area of need to keep an eye on will be at cornerback. It seems as if the Steelers have finally found a lockdown corner via the draft in Joey Porter Jr. The 2023 second-round pick was phenomenal in his rookie season, but depth behind him isn’t too pretty. Patrick Peterson could be released as a cap casualty, and Levi Wallace and James Pierre will likely be gone in free agency.
The trio that is free agency, trade market and draft are all in play for General Manager Omar Khan. Pittsburgh could attempt to make a splash and acquire a guy like L’Jarius Sneed, but other names are beginning to pop up. According to Jeremy Fowler of ESPN, the 2017 Rookie Defensive Player of the Year could be on the move soon.
“Several teams believe Saints corner Marshon Lattimore — whose base salary is a paltry $1.2 million due to a restructure — is also available via a trade,” Fowler wrote.
Marshon Lattimore has spent the entirety of his seven-year NFL career with the New Orleans Saints after being selected in the first round of the 2017 NFL Draft. He has been healthy for the majority of his career, but the 2022 and 2023 seasons were not kind to him from a health perspective. If he is nearing 100% after an ankle injury landed him on Injured Reserve in 2023, he could be an attractive trade candidate at a decent price.
The four-time Pro Bowler will be 28 at the start of the 2024 campaign and would provider younger legs than Peterson on the opposite side of Porter. Making a trade for him brings in another veteran mind for the rising superstar in Porter and gives the Steelers a dynamic duo on the outside. There would still need to be more work done to address the position, but acquiring Lattimore would be a great start.
The intricacies of Lattimore’s contract may scare teams off, but Fowler reporting that several teams know that he is likely to be available means that there is already a market taking shape. Fowler also mentioned that Carlton Davis III from the Tampa Bay Buccaneers could be available as well. Overall, the Steelers will have options in the trade market if that’s a direction they wish to go.
The main thing for Pittsburgh needs to be bringing in a guy that can not only complement Porter, but mentor him, especially if Peterson is on his way out. The idea of selecting a cornerback in the first round is attractive and a possibility, but sets up for an extremely young positional group. That’s why all options will be on the table and a cornerback may be brought in via free agency, a trade and the draft as well.
Steelers Must Do Their Due Diligence At Cornerback
The momentum is there with Porter. The next step for Pittsburgh is to build off his strong rookie season and add someone else to the group that can make opposing wide receivers have nightmares. It is arguably the weakest position on the team entering the 2024 offseason in terms of depth (besides quarterback). Porter needs a stud to play alongside, and a healthy Lattimore could be the perfect addition.
