PITTSBURGH — The Pittsburgh Steelers’ slot cornerback competition is one that could come down to the wire. Defensive coordinator Teryl Austin said earlier this week that while Jalen Ramsey will handle much of the starting duties, who the backup is will continue to evolve.
However, a new player has emerged in that competition in Brandin Echols. Echols played in the slot on Monday and Tuesday in Latrobe, and then confirmed with reporters on Thursday that he continued playing there with the first-team defense over Beanie Bishop on Thursday.
“I think that’s a place where that competition is going to go all the way down to the wire, and we’ll see how it shakes out at the end,” Austin said about the slot cornerback room.
Tomlin admitted earlier this week that the Steelers are trying to find the right maximization of their personnel in that cornerback room, which is part of why Echols has started to slant over toward slot cornerback as well as outside cornerback.
“You know, that’s been his resume. With the Jets, most recently, he’s played outside and in. He has that versatility, and it’s our job to find the best place to utilize people, and particularly when they have flexibility,” Tomlin said.
Meanwhile, Echols is not new to playing inside. He did so with the Jets when injuries piled up, and while he feels more comfortable on the outside, he has trained to play in the nickel as well.
Echols says leverage and communication change when you shift inside, but it is something he feels natural in as his role.
“It’s just me being able to show my versatility,” Echols said. “I want to show them what I can do. It’s pretty straightforward here. It’s really easy to get acclimated in the slot.”
Echols said that Joey Porter Jr. has been limited, which gave him the runway to play in the slot. He commented that the team came out “flat” and it was something he hopes the team can work on for Saturday against the Buccaneers.
However, Echols has made himself a roster lock between all the positions he plays in addition to special teams. The slot cornerback job could be part of that equation, too.
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