Steelers Trade: $3.5 Million Corner Named Potential Free Agent Target for Steelers
The Pittsburgh Steelers have already started making changes this offseason. A day after the Kansas City Chiefs hoisted the Super Bowl trophy, the Steelers began shedding players.
The Steelers waived Mitch Trubisky, Pressley Harvin III and Chukwuma Okorafor to free up cap space for the 2024 offseason. The move raised more than $12 million in capital.
Ultimately, looking for reinforcements elsewhere on the roster when free agency opens next month will take some time to get used to that space. One of the positions that can be targeted in this space is fullback.
Steelers Nation’s Parker Abate has a name for someone they could pursue. Abate believes the team could pursue Tennessee Titans corner Sean Murphy-Bunting in free agency. After spending four years with the Buccaneers, Murphy-Bunting spent the 2023 season with the Titans and may be looking for a change of scenery again in 2024. A tough year in Tennessee.
Murphy-Bunting is the odd man out at Buccaneers cornerback for the 2022 season. He started only five games as Carlton Davis III and Jamel Dean were the team’s preferred options at the position. This left him looking for a new home when his contract expired at the end of the season, and he found a new home with the Titans. They signed him to a one-year, $3.5 million contract to help solve their pass protection issues.
Unfortunately, this step did not help. The team reduced its passing yards per attempt from 7.4 yards in 2022 to 7.3 yards in 2023. Personally, I didn’t like Murphy-Bunting. He managed to intercept a pair of passes during his lone year with the Titans, but he also allowed opposing QBs to complete 65.2% of the passes thrown to him. He stopped eight passes and made 57 tackles on the season, but he certainly wasn’t at the level of development the Titans had hoped for at the position. But he could fill a need for the Steelers without spending a lot of money.
Steelers Corner Requirements The Steelers need an upgrade at corner heading into the 2024 offseason. Drafting Joey Porter Jr. solved half of the problems they faced last offseason. However, Patrick Peterson did not organize the second half as well as expected. His age was starting to catch up with him, he was slowing down and starting to have problems with streetlights.
He’s had some success at safety, but he’s not expected to be the team’s answer as the No. 2 corner next season. He may even be released after the first round of cutoffs within the team. They could also re-sign Levi Wallace, but he’s more of a depth option than a starter.
Pittsburgh allowed 10 yards per pass attempt, the most in the 2023 season. We need to improve this to be competitive in this challenging sector in 2024. There are many options to solve this problem. The 2024 draft class is loaded with corner talent, and you can get a good one with the 20th overall pick in the draft.
The position also has some big names that could become free agents, such as Jaylon Johnson and L’Jarius Sneed. However, if they decide to do so, the Steelers will need help at corner in the 2024 offseason.
