Under Kevin Colbert, the Steelers seldom signed free agents in their mid-30s and rarely selected defensive backs in the early rounds of the NFL Draft.
It’s apparent that new general manager Omar Kahn is running a different operation.
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On Monday, the Steelers signed decorated corner Patrick Peterson at the start of NFL free agency to a two-year, $14 million deal with $5.85 million in guarantees. Those are team-friendly terms, especially considering he’ll probably only be a one-year rental. Next season, Peterson’s base salary will jump from $1.3 million to $3.4 million, and his cap hit will be $9.75 million.
Peterson signing with the Steelers is surprising for a couple of reasons. Though Peterson enjoyed two strong seasons with the Vikings — he intercepted five passes last year for the first time since 2012 — he’s still 33 years old.
On a related note, Peterson said to Adam Schefter in January he’s chasing a Super Bowl ring at this point in his career. “I want to be able to be with the team that’s going to be in the position that’s going to be in the playoffs,” he said.
Though the Steelers rebounded and finished 9-8 last season, they’re hardly a Super Bowl favorite.
But they are the epitome of stability, and it’s apparent that Peterson values their cache. Wearing the black and gold is still meaningful.
“Take my talents to the Steel Curtain, the Terrible Towels,” Peterson said on the All Things Covered podcast. “I grew up watching all the greats there. I love Coach Tomlin and what he brings to the table. How consistent he is. How consistent the defense is, his is team is, year-in and year-out. They are always in position to win ballgames. That’s all you can ask for.”
With that said, the Steelers didn’t overpay for Peterson, either. He’s an affordable replacement for Cameron Sutton, who inked a three-year, $33 million deal with the Lions.
But that doesn’t mean Peterson makes up for losing Sutton entirely. The 12-year vet has mostly played outside corner during his career, whereas Sutton is more versatile. The other two corners on the roster, Ahkello Witherspoon and Levi Wallace, are better-suited to play outside, too.
That’s where the draft comes into play. Armed with the No. 17 overall pick, the Steelers might be in position to select one of the draft’s three top corners: Joey Porter Jr., Devon Witherspoon or Christian Gonzalez.
If not, they could also select a cornerback in the second round. Either way, the Steelers will likely take two corners this year.
That’s not how Colbert ran his board. In 22 years, he used first- or second-round picks on corners just four times, and for good reason. While Bryant McFadden was on two Super Bowl-winning teams, Senquez Golson, Ricardo Coclaugh and Artie Burns were busts.
For this Peterson bandaid to really work, Khan must hit on at least one corner next month.
Then we’ll really see if this is a different regime.