The Pittsburgh Steelers revamped their secondary with the additions of veteran Patrick Peterson in free agency and Joey Porter Jr. through the draft. General manager Omar Khan may have found a diamond in the rough as well with seventh-round pick, cornerback Cory Trice.
Together, those players could make fellow cornerback Levi Wallace expendable. At least that’s what Pro Football Network’s Dallas Robinson argued.
“Levi Wallace may no longer be in the Steelers’ plans after they signed Patrick Peterson and drafted fellow cornerback Joey Porter Jr. at the top of the second round,” wrote Robinson.
“Given that Wallace is scheduled to hit free agency next offseason, Pittsburgh could aim to get something in return for him now rather than lose him next year for nothing.”
Wallace signed a two-year, $8 million contract with the Steelers in March 2022. He will be a free agent at the end of the season.
Robinson proposed the Steelers trading Wallace for a Day 3 draft pick.
CB Levi Wallace on the Trade Market?
On paper, Robinson’s argument makes sense. If the Steelers aren’t going to deploy Wallace in a regular role, he likely would be more useful as a trade chip before the season.
Wallace could be attractive to a contender because of his starting experience. He has made 61 career starts in five NFL seasons. With the Buffalo Bills, he started every game where he dressed, including seven during his rookie season despite being an undrafted player.
With the Steelers, though, his playing time decreased. Wallace only started nine games and was used as a reserve player in six contests last season. In those 15 games, he posted 48 combined tackles, 13 pass defenses and 4 interceptions.
During 2022, Wallace played 76% of his available snaps, which tied a career low. If the Steelers plan to use the 28-year-old even less this season, it would be prudent for Khan to shop the cornerback before losing him in free agency.
Robinson proposed the Detroit Lions being interested because of their lack of depth at cornerback. Detroit also just signed former Steelers cornerback Cam Sutton.
Reasons for the Steelers to Keep Wallace for 2023 Season
In theory, considering moving Wallace in a trade is logical. But there are many underlining reasons for the Steelers to keep Wallace.
Firstly, even though Wallace didn’t start in six games last season, he still played like a starter in two of them. Against both the New England Patriots and Atlanta Falcons, Wallace played more than 50 defensive snaps (that was more than 87% of the team’s snaps on defense) despite not being in the starting lineup.
While Wallace still averaged just 47.3 defensive snaps per game, the lowest of his career, he played extremely well when on the field. His 13 pass defenses and 4 interceptions were both career highs.
Clearly, the Steelers placed Wallace in situations where he could succeeded. They could easily do the same even with more depth at cornerback on the roster this season.
Furthermore, just because Peterson and Porter have arrived doesn’t mean Wallace won’t have a starting role again. Peterson didn’t want to say too much, but he revealed on his podcast on June 19 that he is learning a new position, perhaps even more than one, this offseason.
Should Peterson start at slot cornerback, Wallace could still see plenty of playing time on the outside.
If the Steelers were rebuilding, then perhaps it would make sense to give a starting job to the rookie Trice, who looked impressive during offseason workouts.
But the Steelers view themselves as a contender in 2023. So, it would be surprising to see the team willing to give up Wallace’s experience in the secondary even if free agency means losing him at the end of 2023.
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Proposed Trade Sees Steelers Lose Starting Defensive Back