As the slot corner rises in value around the league, the Pittsburgh Steelers have seemed content to invest minimal resources in the position. Second-year former UDFA Beanie Bishop Jr. is projected to be the starter, but the backup job is a little less clear. It was thought that veteran FA signing Brandin Echols might compete in the slot. Maybe he will, but that isn’t what they had him doing in the spring, according to Mark Kaboly.
“Brandin Echols, he can play outside. He played all outside during minicamp,” Kaboly said via [Kaboly + Mack on YouTube](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MqMQbqOymcA&pp=ygULa2Fib2x5IG1hY2s%3D). “I don’t know if they’re gonna flip that back in.”
Throughout his career, Echols has primarily played on the outside. But he has 169 NFL slot snaps, including 112 in 2023, and the Steelers are short on potential options in the slot behind Bishop.
Seventh-round rookie Donte Kent could be the sleeper there with 779 slot snaps over his last two seasons at Central Michigan, but that’s it in terms of corners with meaningful slot experience. The safeties could end up playing a bigger role than anticipated in the slot. Juan Thornhill and DeShon Elliott should be interchangeable in certain scenarios between the different safety positions and can fill the big nickel role.
A couple other interesting players to keep an eye on are UDFA rookie S Sebastian Castro and recent FA signee Quindell Johnson. Castro’s main role at Iowa was in the slot with over 1,500 snaps there in his final three college seasons. And Johnson played 738 slot snaps over his final three seasons at Memphis.
Echols, even though he has primarily been an outside guy, has the second-most NFL slot experience of the group.
The Steelers have a decent amount of college experience to work with in the slot, but very little when it comes to the NFL. DB coach Gerald Alexander claimed to be [comfortable with what they have](https://steelersdepot.com/2025/06/gerald-alexander-comfortable-with-steelers-slot-cb-options-believes-group-will-create-the-competition-team-needs/) at the position and the competition it will create. If Echols isn’t going to play in the slot, they must have a ton of confidence in Bishop and one of either Kent or Castro.
In a world where slot corner is essentially a starting position on defense and Kyler Gordon just got a three-year, $40 million extension as a slot corner with the Chicago Bears, it’ll be interesting to see how Pittsburgh’s approach to the position shifts in the coming years.