Starting positions defensively are all but set for the Pittsburgh Steelers, at least in the traditional sense. Even with some new faces like rookie defensive Derrick Harmon and veteran cornerback Darius Slay stepping into starting roles, and second-year linebacker Payton Wilson stepping up, the Steelers will have much the same base defense as they did last season.
One position that is forgotten about in the “starter” sense is slot cornerback. The Steelers have a bunch of options there under new secondary coach Gerald Alexander.
Despite options including second-year pro Beanie Bishop Jr., free agent signee Brandin Echols and rookie seventh-round pick Donte Kent, there’s some uncertainty there for the Steelers ahead of training camp. Alexander isn’t worried, though.
In fact, while speaking with reporters last week at mandatory minicamp at the UPMC Rooney Sports Complex, Alexander stated that he likes all the options and believes competition will bring out the best of them and solve the question in the slot ahead of the season.
“I’m comfortable because it is going to create the competition that we’re looking forward to see how it all sorts itself out,” Alexander said regrading the slot cornerback position, according to video via the Post-Gazette on YouTube. ” [We have] a lot of capable guys who are in this camp and obviously even going into Latrobe that look to come out to see who can be in a significant role for us in that slot. But we’ll see.”
Bishop is the incumbent at the position, having played in all 17 games and the playoff game for the Steelers in 2024, starting six games on the season. Bishop played 549 snaps and had his ups and downs in his first season with the Steelers.
He did have the two-interception game against Aaron Rodgers and the New York Jets on Sunday Night Football at Acrisure Stadium. Bishop also had interceptions against the New York Giants and Cincinnati Bengals, too, picking off Joe Burrow in the regular-season finale.
But for those splash plays he created, he struggled at times in coverage and in run support.
Bishop allowed 40 receptions on 59 targets for 436 yards and three touchdowns, according to Pro Football Focus. He graded out at a 55.5 overall from PFF, including a 57.1 in coverage and a 55.8 as a run defender. Bishop’s numbers weren’t all that great, which led to the Steelers adding at the position in free agency and via the 2025 NFL Draft.
Echols is more of a boundary corner and can provide depth on the outside, but he has played some snaps in the slot, recording 169 snaps at the position in his career. A very small sample size, but there is some experience there that could have him playing a factor there for the Steelers in training camp ahead of the season.
The main threat to Bishop is seventh-round pick Donte Kent. The Central Michigan product was little known coming out of college and was a surprise seventh-round pick, but the Steelers liked what they saw and made sure they drafted him before he got to undrafted free agency.
Kent is a dynamic athlete who also has some kick- and punt-return abilities, too, but he had just two interceptions in 53 college games. He split time in the slot and on the boundary at Central Michigan and was All-MAC across his final three seasons in college, making him an intriguing option in the slot.
After not having many interesting options in the slot in recent years, the Steelers have added some players to the position group who should push each other and strengthen that area of the defense in the process. We’ll see who emerges as the “starter” at the position coming out of Latrobe. It’ll be a battle worth watching, which is something that can’t be said much about the rest of the roster.
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