The Pittsburgh Steelers are slated to enter the 2025 campaign with Darius Slay and Joey Porter Jr. as the starting corners. Slay signed a one-year deal with the Steelers this offseason, while Porter started 16 games last season and will reprise his starting role this season.
Though Pittsburgh could be comfortable with their current cornerback room, adding more depth to the position group is always a good idea. Cory Trice Jr. and Brandin Echols are solid depth pieces, but they definitely aren’t irreplaceable.
One corner who the Steelers could target to bolster the position is Jaire Alexander, who was released by the Green Bay Packers on Monday. USA TODAY’s Jacob Camenker lists Pittsburgh as a potential landing spot for the veteran corner.
“Pittsburgh already added two veteran corners to its roster during the offseason in Darius Slay and Brandin Echols, but at this stage in his career, Alexander is better than both. The Steelers could consider signing him and having him split playing time with the 34-year-old Slay to keep both healthy long-term,” Camenker wrote.
Alexander is a difference-maker when healthy, but the problem is that he is never healthy. The 28-year-old has played in just 14 games over the last two seasons and has missed 34 contests since 2021.
The two-time Pro Bowler likely won’t command a massive contract on the open market due to his injury history, but Alexander can still serve as a potential starter in the secondary.
The Steelers could look to target Alexander to give Slay and Porter some competition for the starting spots and upgrade the depth in the cornerback room. The 2018 first-round pick was a Pro Bowler and second-team All-Pro selection back in his last fully healthy season in 2022. That year, he snagged five interceptions and allowed a 66.2 passer rating when targeted.
Pittsburgh still has $31.8 million in cap space to utilize, so general manager Omar Khan should make an offer to Alexander and see if he would be willing to join the team’s secondary in 2025.
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