The Pittsburgh Steelers have severed ties with cornerback Cortez Allen. Allen, who was with the Steelers since 2011, was released Friday afternoon.
Allen and the Steelers agreed to a big, four-year contract in 2014 that would pay him $24.6 million. However, Allen didn’t live up to the dollar signs. He had an ugly 2014 that ended when he suffered a thumb injury that kept him out for the final five games. And Allen only played one game in the 2015 season: the season opener against the New England Patriots. He injured his knee in the second game of the season, which resulted in the Steelers putting him on the injured reserve for the rest of the year.
It was almost imminent that the ties between the Steelers and Allen would be cut. In March, general manager Kevin Colbert was less than optimistic about how Allen has played in recent years.
“Prior to him getting injured with the knee and the thumb, Cortez did some good things when he was younger,” Colbert said, via ESPN.com. “His production per snap was really, it was impressive and that’s why we signed him to the deal we did. Unfortunately for him and us, it just hasn’t matched up.”
When Allen was younger, he did make plays. From 2011-13 with the Steelers, Allen played in 44 out of 48 regular season games, starting 11. In his entire career with the Steelers, Allen had 150 tackles, 34 passes defended and six interceptions.
With Allen’s release, the Steelers could target another cornerback in the NFL Draft. The team is already looking for defensive backs, and even had Keanu Neal visit Pittsburgh last week. The Steelers also have Ross Cockrell, William Gay, Senquez Golson, Doran Grant, Al-Hajj Shabazz and Isaiah Frey on their roster. The NFL Draft will take place from April 28-30.
Image credit: Mark L. Baer/USA TODAY Sports
