Pittsburgh Steelers: Brandon Boykin Trade A Vital Steal

Nobody was surprised to see the Philadelphia Eagles trade top-notch slot corner Brandon Boykin this offseason, because Chip Kelly doesn’t seem to value smaller corners despite the value they can bring to the table. So the real surprise was the fact that the Pittsburgh Steelers, who weren’t expected to make any major moves in August after yet another quiet offseason that was mostly about locking up their franchise figure-heads, were the ones to acquire Boykin for a fifth-round pick that could become a fourth-round pick.

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For Steelers fans, recently extended GM Kevin Colbert’s decision to trade for Boykin is as pleasant of a surprise as they come, because the team desperately needed an impact player in their secondary. The safety position is uncertain with Mike Mitchell needing to bounce back from “free agent bust” status, and Shamarko Thomas is a promising but equally uncertain commodity.

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But the Steelers were especially thin at cornerback, as Cortez Allen was one of the league’s worst players at the position in 2014 after signing a five-year, $26 million contract. In all honesty, only William Gay looked like a known, above-average player at the position, though rookie Senquez Golson is as promising as any CB in this class despite his short stature.

If Allen can bounce back and Golson can make an immediate impact, then the Steelers secondary could go from “atrocious” to “decent”, pending the final outcome at the safety position. And with Ryan Shazier at full health as part of a young nucleus up front, the Steelers have some upside up front.

The need for the Steelers to improve defensively was obvious, as it’s simply too tall of a task to ask Ben Roethlisberger and this elite offense to carry this defense past teams like the Denver Broncos, who do have a great defense that can at least somewhat keep the Pittsburgh offense in check. After winning the division last year, the Steelers have greater aspirations, and, therefore, they must have a better defense to meet those goals.

Per Pro-Football Reference, the Steelers were a bottom-five pass defense with 7.0 net yards per attempt allowed, were 27th in passing yards allowed, and surrendered 30 touchdowns to just 11 interceptions. They were roundly below-average in pass defense, so Brandon Boykin can be a huge help.

Although he wasn’t as good in 2014 as he was in 2013, Boykin was still solid with nine passes defended and consistently good coverage on the inside. Boykin, of course, was an elite corner in 2013 with six interceptions and 17 passes defended in a masterful season in which he established himself as one of the game’s best slot corners.

Despite his size, Boykin was clamoring to get a chance at starting on the outside this season, but the Eagles never had any intentions of playing him over Nolan Carroll as new CB Byron Maxwell‘s outside partner. In Pittsburgh, Boykin could have a shot on the outside, but, based on a quote from Zach Berman found in this piece, he will be fine with slot-only duties, even if he’s apparently bored of exclusively playing inside.

It’s pretty clear that the Steelers decision to trade for Boykin could be a season-defining move, simply because it gives them a high-caliber player at an important position when they were woefully lacking in sure-fire options at the position. Again, Allen and Golson can be good in 2015, and if they are, then the Steelers secondary could be in business. Acquiring Boykin puts less pressure on the rookie and bounce-back veteran, so if those two don’t have the desired 2015 impact, at least this team will field one good corner.

Oct 5, 2014; Philadelphia, PA, USA; Philadelphia Eagles cornerback Brandon Boykin (22) breaks up pass for St. Louis Rams wide receiver Austin Pettis (18) late in the fourth quarter at Lincoln Financial Field. The Eagles defeated the Rams, 34-28. Mandatory Credit: Eric Hartline-USA TODAY Sports

As we saw in 2013, Boykin has amazing ability, and he’s just 25. Even though he’s only a one-year rental and will likely cost a fourth-round pick, the Steelers could still have him in the prime of his career after this season.

Since the Steelers had a successful 2014 season and are trending upwards, there’s a great chance he’ll be willing to re-sign if he likes his situation enough.

The Steelers will, of course, have some extra time after the season to re-sign him or, if they really like what he does in 2015, franchise him.

Considering the fact that Boykin, who once returned kick-offs in Philly before becoming too valuable for that role in 2014, came into the league as a fourth-round pick out of Georgia and has shattered those draft-induced expectations, the price paid is a fair one for Pittsburgh.

In fact, even if the Steelers aren’t able to re-sign him, the trade will still be worth it, even if Boykin plays like he did in 2014 and not like he did in 2013, especially since they’ll be paying him just $1.542 million.

This is a team that desperately needed a good corner, so while Boykin wasn’t “great” in 2014, he was most definitely “good” and is a big upgrade.

Based on the Steelers expectations for themselves this season, he’s the kind of quick-fix at CB that can pay off big-time this year, because you never know how high an explosive offense can go if their defense can start getting some more stops.

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