Cornerback was one of the bigger weaknesses on the Pittsburgh Steelers roster coming into the offseason. They did well to supplement it through free agency, adding Jamel Dean and bringing back Asante Samuel Jr. on the outside. Then in the draft, Pittsburgh added another cornerback with experience on the perimeter in Daylen Everette.
However, that might not be the spot that gives him the most playing time, at least in his rookie season. Beat writer Ray Fittipaldo thinks Everette could see some work at nickel.
“I do want to see him in the slot. Because he’s a good tackler and he’s a big guy. I think he could help in terms of run support and maybe blitzing off the edge, like we saw some really talented slot corners do for the Steelers on previous teams. So, there’s a spot there,” Fittipaldo said Friday on the North Shore Drive podcast. “It doesn’t seem like getting on the field on the outside is his best route right now…It would seem like his easiest path to playing time would be the slot.”
Given his skillset, Everette seems to be in a good position to learn from Joey Porter Jr. and Dean on the outside. He takes pride in his physicality and has great length to jam receivers at the line. He’s also got the speed to carry receivers deep, and while he needs to work on his anticipation, he’s in a good spot to develop behind those names.
However, their presence would make it harder for Daylen Everette to see the field this season. Porter is obviously going be a starter, and given the money the Steelers are spending on Dean, he will be too. Samuel had some nice moments last year as well, enough to convince the Steelers to bring him back as a depth piece.
Fittipaldo is right that the nickel position may be much less crowded. The Steelers do have Brandin Echols there, who was reliable at times in 2025. But aside from him, there’s not much. Jalen Ramsey will see some work in that position. But based on Mike McCarthy’s comments, he could be moving around the defense.
Nickel is a position in which Everette has some experience, but not a ton. In his 2,031 collegiate snaps, only 376 came from the slot. But Fittipaldo is right that his skillset feels like a fit for that role. He’s very willing to come downhill against the run, and he does have the speed to succeed as a blitzer.
No matter where he plays, Daylen Everette won’t be tasked with a starting role too soon. That’s probably a good thing, since there are plenty of quality names in the secondary for him to learn from. Yet, he does still need in-game reps to develop. In terms of getting those in 2026, Fittipaldo wonders if his best chance with the Steelers may be in the slot.
Recommended for you