Getty Steelers RB Najee Harris (left) and head coach Mike Tomlin (right).
Of all the positions the Pittsburgh Steelers might target in the first three rounds of the 2023 draft, cornerback has to be at or near the top of the list. Of course, additions (or losses) in free agency could further refine the team’s priorities, especially since former Steelers 3rd-round pick Cameron Sutton is a pending unrestricted free agent and figures to get a big raise.
One veteran cornerback the Steelers could target in free agency is Marcus Peters. At least that’s the rumor on Radio Row at the Super Bowl, as noted by Andrew Fillipponi of 93.7 The Fan in Pittsburgh.
Steelers rumor from Radio Row: Steelers will be interested in Ravens corner Marcus Peters in free agency.
I would love that!
Signing Peters is an idea that Fillipponi enthusiastically endorses, calling it a “fabulous idea.” Fillipponi believe Steelers head coach Mike Tomlin would embrace the idea, too, saying, “He’s got that personality that I feel Tomlin would be like, ‘I’ll get the best out of him. I can coach him.’”
Jeremy Fowler: Peters Doesn’t Fit Pittsburgh’s ‘Identity’
But not everyone sees Peters as a good fit for Pittsburgh and its defensive scheme.
“I’m just trying to process Marcus Peters in the Steelers’ system, which requires a lot of patience and discipline and that’s not his game. He’s going to go gamble and try to get every interception and he’s going to blow coverages as a result and occasionally get you the ball. I just don’t know that’s what they want; that’s not really their identity,” offered ESPN NFL insider Jeremy Fowler during an interview with Fillipponi.
“I equate Peters at this stage to Joe Haden when he went to Pittsburgh,” added Fowler, referring how the Steelers signed the former Browns Pro Bowler to a three-year, $27 million contract in 2017.
“(Haden) made more sense for what they want to do, in my mind. But it’s a weak cornerback class and they need help so I think they’ll get somebody,” concluded Fowler, before reminding listeners that the Steelers typically look for No. 2 starter types in free agency, a la Steven Nelson, who played for the Steelers from 2019-20 before the team terminated his contract in 2021.
Do the Ravens Want to Re-Sign Marcus Peters?
As for the chances of Marcus Peters returning to the Ravens, Jeff Zrebiec of The Athletic regards him as Baltimore’s No. 2 pending unrestricted free agent, behind quarterback Lamar Jackson but ahead of guard Ben Powers, outside linebacker Justin Houston and tight end Josh Oliver.
“The 30-year-old ball hawk fits the Ravens well from a playing style and personality standpoint, and Baltimore certainly needs quality cornerbacks,” says Zrebiec, but notes how the two-time first-team All-Pro struggled through much of last season after missing the 2021 campaign with a torn ACL.
“Peters’ volatility will probably scare off some teams, but he’s a smart football player and his 32 career interceptions prove that. The Ravens figure to have interest in keeping Peters, but the price is going to have to be right,” opines Zrebiec.
Peters has been in the league since 2015, when Kansas City selected him No. 18 overall out of Washington.
In 104 career games with the Chiefs, Rams and Ravens, he has recorded 346 tackles (284 solo), with 32 interceptions and 11 forced fumbles. Peters has started at least 13 games in all but one of his eight years in the league, the lone exception being 2021, as he tore his ACL during a Sept. 2021 practice and missed the entire season. It was more than 11 months before Peters participated in another Ravens practice.
In 2022, Peters recorded just one interception and had a career-low six passes defensed, this as compared to the eight interceptions and 26 passes defensed he contributed as a rookie. He missed the final three games of last season with a calf strain.
Pro Football Focus (PFF) regards Peters as the 6th-best cornerback available in free agency, with the aforementioned Cam Sutton at No. 3.
“Peters is likely looking at one-year offers in free agency to serve as a No. 2 cornerback with upside going forward,” says Brad Spielberger of PFF, noting that the nine-year veteran had a slow start to the season but “regained his form down the stretch.”
Last year at this time, Steelers running back Najee Harris named Marcus Peters as the NFL player he’d most like to “run over,” saying so with a big smile, as the two are longtime friends.