The Pittsburgh Steelers managed to address some key needs during the 2025 NFL draft, but there were a few that were not taken care of.
Two of those needs come at offensive tackle and cornerback, where the Steelers could use more depth. And, more specifically, Pittsburgh needs to add more competition for the slot cornerback job.
The Steelers did draft a slot corner in Donte Kent, but the selection didn’t come until the seventh round, which means the Central Michigan product is highly unlikely to amount to anything more than a special teams contributor.
With that in mind, Andy Vasquez of Steelers Wire suggested a pair of free-agent signings that would shore those two issues up. He thinks the Steelers should sign former Cleveland Browns tackle Jedrick Wills and former Cincinnati Bengals cornerback, Mike Hilton, who is also a former Steeler, of course.
“Hilton was one of the former Steelers destined to reunite with Pittsburgh this offseason — but the stars simply didn’t align,” Vasquez said of the veteran free-agent cornerback. “After the Steelers avoided selecting a CB until Round 7 of the 2025 NFL Draft, bringing in Hilton to compete with Brandin Echols and Beanie Bishop Jr. would make the Steelers’ secondary even more dangerous this upcoming season.”
“Dan Moore Jr. left a huge depth-sized hole at the Steelers’ offensive tackle position,” Vasquez wrote. “Every time a starter went down due to injury or poor play, Moore was there — almost serving as a third starting OT as often as his number was called. Not only did Pittsburgh fail to address the depth in free agency, outside of activating Calvin Anderson off IR, but the Steelers also didn’t draft any offensive tackles — which is why signing Jedrick Wills Jr. needs to happen. He never quite lived up to expectations in Cleveland, but he’ll have a simpler role behind Broderick Jones and Troy Fautanu.”
Vasquez went on to suggest Buffalo Bills wide receiver Amari Cooper as another possible target, but that isn’t likely to happen anymore after the Steelers signed Robert Woods on Monday.
Hilton has been a solid slot cornerback for years now. After his four seasons with the Steelers, Hilton signed with the Bengals, where he spent the past four years. In 2024, Hilton showed he’s still got some gas after giving up a completion rate of 67.2% and a passer rating of 92.0 when targeted. He also remains an elite run defender, as evidenced by his 91.7 Pro Football Focus grade in that area.
In Pittsburgh, not only would Hilton provide excellent competition for Beanie Bishop and Brandin Echols, he’d likely win the starting job outright.
Wills has been a huge disappointment since being drafted by the Browns with the No. 10 overall pick in the 2020 NFL draft. On top of that, he has battled some injuries in recent years.
That said, Wills would still offer a solid depth piece behind Pittsburgh’s projected starting tackles, Troy Fautanu and Broderick Jones, both of whom the jury is still out on. Fautanu saw his rookie campaign cut short due to a knee injury and Jones took a step back in his second season. Pittsburgh also doesn’t have the security blanket of a veteran like Dan Moore, who moved on in free agency.
At this late stage in free agency, Wills and Hilton should come relatively cheap, and that’s especially true for Wills, whose stock is at an all-time low. Both makes sense for a Steelers team looking to compete in 2025.
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