Midway through the offseason, when the Steelers surprisingly released a veteran starting cornerback in Steven Nelson, after having already lost a slot starter in Mike Hilton to the rival Cincinnati Bengals, it was clear the position was in flux heading into the 2021 season. Ultimately, the team chose to bet on its in-house talent, namely in the belief that Cam Sutton could become a full time starter on the boundary and that players such as James Pierre, Arthur Maulet, and Tre Norwood could step up to fill Sutton’s sub package role.
Amidst the latter half of training camp, Kevin Colbert attempted to shore up depth at the position, sending a 2023 fifth rounder over to Seattle in exchange for Ahkello Witherspoon.