You simply can’t have enough good cornerbacks in today’s NFL.
Seems simple enough, but considering how passing offenses have dominated the league in recent years, it seems to be more the case every season.
After all, in four of last six seasons alone, at least 10 starting QB’s have surpassed 4,000 passing yards. It does not seem like that long ago surpassing the 4,000-yard plateau was a rarity achieved by the likes of Dan Marino, Joe Montana and John Elway.
Today we are seeing players like Cam Newton, Matt Schaub and Ryan Tannehill break the threshold.
Not exactly quarterbacks on their way to Canton, but all the same, it tells you that the game has changed to the point where offenses with even average passers not named Manning, Brady, Brees or Rodgers can put up big time numbers.
Passing attacks are flourishing like never before in the NFL. Ben Roethlisberger may be as good example of how passing games have evolved and become more dangerous than ever. It’s hard to remember that Roethlisberger threw for a mere 2,385 and 3,301 passing yards during the 2005 and 2008 Super Bowl seasons after watching him throw for nearly 5,000 last year.
All the more reason to have as many talented cornerbacks as possible.
With the addition of former Philadelphia Eagles standout cornerback Brandon Boykin, the Steelers add a coverage specialist that should bolster a pass defense that will undoubtably need to overcome elite passing offenses in order to make a deep run in the playoffs.
Adding Boykin means an immediate upgrade to the Steelers secondary. In Philadelphia, Boykin became one of the best slot cornerbacks in the NFL. Known for his strong coverage skills and ability to be a playmaker in the Eagles secondary, Boykin had six interceptions in 2013 and was often given the job of covering opponents top receivers.
Much has been made about Boykin’s desire to be a full-time starter after only starting seven games in three seasons. However, with so many teams employing spread offenses with packages that often utilize four receivers, the slot or nickel cornerback has essentially become an additional starter for defenses.
Steelers cornerback William Gay has been a perfect example of that. Before being forced into a starting role due to injuries and poor play from Ike Taylor and Cortez Allen, Gay was thriving in the slot. Now with the addition of Boykin, the Steelers will have additional flexibility to move Gay back to the slot, or keep Boykin in the role he excelled at with the Eagles.
Boykin’s addition was also needed with rookie Senquez Golson’s season very much in doubt before it has even began. Drafted to potentially contribute early as a slot corner, Golson is now dealing with a shoulder injury that may need season-ending surgery, thinning the Steelers cornerback depth further.
Combine that with serious questions surrounding Allen after his nightmare 2014 season and adding Boykin makes all the more sense. Boykin immediately upgrades the position as a starter if Allen once again struggles to be the player the Steelers envisioned when they signed him to a lucrative extension before the start of last season.
With the Steelers first preseason game set for this Sunday, the Steelers now look to have four experienced cornerbacks with starting experience in Boykin, Gay, Allen, and Antwon Blake, who provided much needed depth late last season.
If all four corners play up to their abilities, there is reason to believe the Steelers will turn what many considered to be a weakness last season into a potential strength.
That could go far in the Steelers defense improving considerably in 2015.
