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Pittsburgh Steelers: What free agent cornerbacks are left?

By Brian Spaen

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Earlier this week, the Pittsburgh Steelers looked to be in contention to pick up a free agent cornerback by meeting with Sterling Moore and Patrick Robinson. However, both players signed with other teams on Thursday. What are some other targets that the Steelers can go after now to help improve their secondary?

Both players met with the Steelers earlier this week, but never agreed to deal before leaving. According to ESPN NFL reporter Field Yates, Robinson was first off the market after the San Diego Chargers signed him to a one-year deal worth $1.25 million. Robinson met with the Steelers back on Monday.

On Tuesday, the Steelers met with Moore. According to NFL Network insider Ian Rapaport, the cornerback decided to go with the team he had talks with first — the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. That deal was a one-year contract for about $1.52 million.

Steelers fans have most been confused on how the team couldn’t pull either Robinson or Moore in, especially after looking at the deals. This franchise looks to have a value set on players and they won’t budge on it.

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Neither cornerback is a humongous star, but it wasn’t like either player was going to break the bank. Robinson rebounded from a patella injury that he suffered in 2013, a lost year where he only recorded two tackles in two games. He finished 2014 with 39 total tackles, 11 pass deflections, and two interceptions in 14 games. He’s played all five seasons with the New Orleans Saints before heading into free agency.

Moore has also had a five-year career in the NFL and is coming off of his best season yet. Prior to 2014, Moore didn’t play more than eight games in a season alternating between the New England Patriots and Dallas Cowboys. Last season, he recorded 39 total tackles, 13 pass deflections, and two fumble recoveries in 16 games.

Losing out on both players isn’t terrible, but the Steelers should still look at improving their secondary. They do retain three of their top four cornerbacks — William Gay, Cortez Allen, and Antwon Blake while Brice McCain walked to the Miami Dolphins — but it’s a unit that needs to be improved if Pittsburgh wants to get back into the playoffs after the losses of Jason Worilds, James Harrison, Troy Polamalu, and Ike Taylor.

The options are also becoming slim in free agency. Tarell Brown is likely the best cornerback still available in free agency. After a seven-year stint with the San Francisco 49ers, he racked up the tackles with the Oakland Raiders (55 total tackles) but recorded just four pass deflections and zero interceptions. Walter Football, who rates Brown as the best remaining free agent at CB, said he was “slightly sub par” with the Raiders.

"Tarell Brown was an excellent cornerback for the 49ers over several seasons. He took a 1-year deal to play for the Raiders, and was just slightly sub par, as he didn’t get much help from his pass rush. Brown is 30, and his best days are behind him, but he’s still a good starter."

The latest update for Brown during free agency is meeting with the Patriots on Tuesday.

Another option is Zachary Bowman, formerly from the New York Giants. He also signed a one-year deal with a team last season, but didn’t get much playing time due to the depth at that position. Carlos Rogers is also available, but wouldn’t be a good fit and probably not worth the risk after suffering a knee injury last season.

The Steelers still have options available, but they’re running out of good targets. They haven’t made many moves in free agency this offseason, and they’ll still be one of the top teams in the NFL heading into next year with the same group, but it wouldn’t hurt to sign one of these veterans to a small deal to at least add some depth.

Next: Steelers make right move in extending Roethlisberger?

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