Blinksportsnews247This offseason, the Pittsburgh Steelers have already started implementing adjustments.
The Steelers began cutting players the day after the Kansas City Chiefs hoisted the Super Bowl trophy.
Chukwuma Okorafor, Pressley Harvin III, and Mitch Trubisky were released by the Steelers in an attempt to free up some contract space for the 2024 offseason.
Over $12 million in cap space was made available by the changes.
When free agency begins next month, that space should ultimately be used to acquire reinforcements elsewhere on the team.
Cornerback is one position that may be addressed with the cap space.
Parker Abate of Steelers Nation has a potential target in mind. Abate thinks the team may sign free agent corner Sean Murphy-Bunting of the Tennessee Titans.
After four seasons with the Buccaneers, Murphy-Bunting spent the 2023 season with the Titans. In 2024, he could be seeking a change of scenery once more.
A Difficult Year for Tennessee
During the 2022 season, Murphy-Bunting emerged as the team’s odd man out among the Buccaneers cornerbacks.
Jamel Dean and Carlton Davis III were the team’s primary options at the position, therefore he only started five games.
When his contract expired at the end of the season, he was forced to hunt for a new place to call home. He eventually found it with the Titans.
He was signed to a $3.5 million, one-year contract by them to help them address their pass defensive problems.
Unfortunately, not much was accomplished by the transfer. In 2022, the club allowed 7.4 yards per attempt; in 2023, that number dropped to 7.3.
Murphy-Bunting wasn’t all that terrific on her own. In his one season with the Titans, he was able to intercept two passes, but he also gave opposition quarterbacks the opportunity to complete 65.2% of the passes that were thrown to him.
Despite making 57 tackles and defending 8 passes throughout the season, he was unquestionably not the improvement the Titans had hoped for at the position.
Nevertheless, he might provide the Steelers with a necessity without breaking the bank.
Needs for Steelers’ Corner
In 2024, the Steelers will require an improvement at cornerback.
Half of their problems going into the previous summer were resolved by selecting Joey Porter Jr.
Patrick Peterson, nevertheless, failed to make the required correction to the other half.
As his advancing years began to catch up with him, his deteriorating speed caused him to struggle in coverage on the outside.
Although he had some success at safety, the team doesn’t anticipate using him as their second cornerback the following season. In the unlikely event that he survives the team’s initial round of cuts, he may even be discharged.
Levi Wallace is more of a depth option than a starter, so they could possibly re-sign him.
In the 2023 season, Pittsburgh gave up the tenth-most yards per passing attempt.
They will need that to get better if they hope to compete in a competitive division in 2024.
They can deal with the problem in a number of ways. With the 20th choice in the draft, they may select a solid cornerback from the talented class of 2024.
Big names like L’Jarius Sneed and Jaylon Johnson might possibly be available for free at this position.
The Steelers need some assistance at cornerback during the 2024 offseason, no matter how they choose to go about it.
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