The Steelers have made several key personnel moves to try and improve the cornerback position in recent days. That isn't exactly good news for a team with championship aspirations.
That's especially true considering there are only two preseason games left and, thus, not a lot of time to fix the position. It is one thing to shuffle personnel during OTAs or even the early part of training camp. That happens often and generally things sort themselves out by the time the season rolls around.
This is something different, though, as this is a team that appears desperate to find some answers. And given the available options, those answers might not actually exist.
Ross Cockrell was the starter at one cornerback position. He is athletic and has some natural ability but at times he struggled in one-on-one matchups last season. He didn't play well at all against Atlanta. He got beat for a 44-yard pass by Reggie Davis and gave up several other shorter passes as well. He was one of several reasons the first-team defense gave up 244 yards and three scores in three drives.
Cockrell wasn't consistent last season, although he did improve as the season wore on. He was one of several shaky areas in the defense the Steelers committed to upgrade in the offseason.
That's why they brought in free agent Coty Sensabaugh to create some competition at that spot. Sensabaugh is a veteran of six seasons who was brought in mostly to add some depth. He has been a bit of a journeyman in recent years but nevertheless he has experience both on the outside and in the slot.
That made him attractive because he could challenge either Cockrell or slot corner William Gay for the starting position. Sensabaugh would be an upgrade over Gay in the slot and the hope was he would at the very least take that position. And if he was just pushing for playing time there while creating some competition at the outside positions, it would be fine. Gay is a veteran, but he has lost a step. This much was clear Sunday against the Falcons.
Sensabaugh as the new slot corner would be a welcome change. The Steelers have tried to find someone to beat out Gay for a while, and it just hasn't happened. Credit Gay, who just keeps fighting and finding ways to hold on to the spot. But the Steelers haven't found anybody who can take the job from him.
The problem is Sensabaugh isn't challenging Gay for his spot; he is challenging Cockrell for a starting spot on the outside. And it feels more like he is getting this opportunity because Cockrell has been bad and not necessarily because Sensabaugh has done anything special.
It could just be the Steelers are trying to push Cockrell by giving Sensabaugh first-team reps. Cockrell might ultimately be the starter, but it seems awfully late in the game to try and motivate a player to be better. If it works, though, the Steelers defense could be in good shape with an improved Cockrell on the outside, Sensabaigh in the slot and Gay as a reserve.
But it doesn't sound like the Steelers are anywhere close to that. They not only have given Sensabaugh a lot of first-team reps this week, they also traded for Dashaun Phillips and signed free agent Antonio Crawford, though the team released him Thursday.
Phillips is not expected to make the team but the fact that the Steelers are still bringing in corners is not a good sign. It is customary for teams overload a position and create competition in training camp. But training camp is over and the Steelers are now in the part of the preseason where they should be focused on trimming their roster and preparing for the opener against the Browns.
It all could shake out by the time the season begins, but time is running out. The Steelers defense needs Cockrell to win his starting job and push Sensabaugh to the slot. If that doesn't happen, the Steelers could yet again be a championship-caliber team that falls short because of a porous secondary.
