Brandin Echols had his worst game of the season on Sunday, but the same could be said of many Steelers. Graduating into the primary slot defender due to injuries, he struggled against stud WR Ladd McConkey. But he knows that’s his job no matter who is lined up across from him. And he also knows that his teammates and coaches have his back.
“They don’t look at me no different,”, Brian Batko of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette quoted Echols as saying. “They’ve seen what I can do week in and week out when I can put my best foot forward. With that coming from my teammates, it makes me feel a little better. But I had a bad game. I’ve just got to own up to it and be better next week”.
According to Pro Football Focus, Brandin Echols allowed eight catches on nine targets for 125 yards and a touchdown. He allowed a long of 58 yards, but in reality, he had decent position on a ridiculously well-placed ball. It was the touchdown he gave up that he knows was his ugliest play, as called out by Joe Haden.
In addition to earning a promotion on defense, Echols also has more responsibilities on defense. Since Miles Killebrew’s injury, he is also serving as a gunner. But that is no excuse for whatever he’s doing on defense, and he knows that.
And to be fair, he had largely played well this season. In recent weeks, Echols had even begun to see time outside in place of Darius Slay. But Ladd McConkey is a tough assignment for anybody, and it’s not like the Steelers’ other cornerbacks haven’t had hard times with top-end talents.
The Steelers signed Brandin Echols this offseason on a two-year, $6 million contract. This was long before they acquired Jalen Ramsey via trade, which bumped him down a peg. As the season has worn on, however, they are being forced to revisit their plans.
It seems quite possible, if not likely, that the Steelers will now move Ramsey to safety on a full-time basis. Joey Porter Jr. will be one cornerback, and it seems Slay will split time with James Pierre. And it will be Echols in the slot, the only one other than Ramsey really equipped to handle the job.
In nine games this season, Echols has 28 tackles, including two for loss, with an interception and three passes defensed. He recorded one pass defensed against the Bengals, who are their upcoming opponents. Depending upon Slay’s availability, it’s not clear what the Steelers’ plans are for that receiver group.
Since the last time the Steelers played the Bengals, they have moved Ramsey to safety, which is a big deal. In that game, they were banking on their cornerbacks locking down Ja’Marr Chase and Tee Higgins. That failed spectacularly. But even when they weren’t getting the ball, Joe Flacco found guys over the middle. That’s what the Steelers need from Brandin Echols this week, and for the rest of the season.
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