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The Pittsburgh Steelers have one of their best defenses in years this season. But similar to the past two years, the Steelers will once again face questions at cornerback this offseason. That could make a young free agent such as Byron Murphy an intriguing option in March.
At least that’s what the Bleacher Report NFL scouting department proposed. The BR team argued on November 11 that the Steelers should target Murphy this offseason.
“The Steelers signed Donte Jackson this offseason and he’s been a strong addition to the defense. The 29-year-old is putting together the best campaign of his career. Him overperforming his one-year contract is nice, but it means that he could be looking for more money next season and the Steelers might want to avoid handing a cornerback who will turn 30 a ton of money in free agency,” wrote the BR team.
“That money might be better spent on someone like Byron Murphy. The 27-year-old is thriving under Brian Flores in Minnesota. Of course, Flores was most recently with the Steelers before taking over as the defensive coordinator in Minnesota. He would show up to Pittsburgh and give them two corners who can press and play in an aggressive scheme.”
The Arizona Cardinals selected Murphy in the second round of the 2019 NFL draft. But he received a first-round grade from draft analysts, including NFL.com’s Lance Zierlein.
Over his six-year NFL career, Murphy has earned a little more than $27 million according to Spotrac.
Should Steelers Sign CB Byron Murphy?
Prior to the 2019 NFL draft, Zierlein compared Murphy to former 4-time Pro Bowl cornerback Brent Grimes.
“Ball-hawking man corner who makes up for a lack of physical tools with outstanding instincts, toughness, and short-area quickness,” Zierlein wrote. “Murphy’s ball production per target is as good as you will find thanks to an innate ability to process the quarterback and route development simultaneously.”
Zierlein identified Murphy as a nickel cornerback. But in four of his six NFL seasons, he’s played more snaps at wide cornerback than in the slot.
Whether that’s the reason or not, Murphy hasn’t really lived up to his draft hype. But he’s arguably playing the best season of his NFL career this fall.
Through Week 10, Murphy has earned a Pro Football Focus player grade of 71.4. That’s ranked among the top 20 cornerbacks who have played at least 50% of his team’s defensive snaps this season.
According to PFF, he’s excelled in coverage and run defense while playing wide cornerback, nickel back and box safety.
The Steelers like versatile cornerbacks. Murphy could help replace Donte Jackson, who will be an unrestricted free agent this offseason.
Could the Steelers Bring Back CB Donte Jackson?
Whether the Steelers express interest in Murphy will very likely depend on what happens to Jackson.
Bleacher Report described Jackson as outperforming his 1-year contract. He’s passing the eye test and leads the team with 6 pass defenses and 3 interceptions.
But according to the analytics, Jackson hasn’t been as stellar. He has earned a PFF player grade of 51.6, which is the worst seasonal mark of his career.
Jackson also just turned 29 while Murphy doesn’t turn 27 until January.
The Steelers may be pleased with how Jackson is playing. But that doesn’t mean they are going to want to sign him to a long-term deal. Murphy, though, on a 3-year contract could be an appealing option because he won’t turn 30 until after the deal expires.
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