While the Pittsburgh Steelers retained their two starting cornerbacks from the season opener, their nickel corner, Cortez Allen, sat out with a knee injury. It was expected that Brandon Boykin, acquired via trade during training camp, would serve as the nickel back in this game, but a groin injury sidetracked that plan.
With the fourth-year cornerback missing practice time—one full practice and limited participation on another day—there opened a window of opportunity for Ross Cockrell to get reps in practice, and that translated into time logged on the field on Sunday.