This is the eighth in a series on the Steelers' roster as the team prepares to report to training camp at Saint Vincent College July 28. Today: Cornerback.
Cornerback: Jamel Dean, Brandin Echols, Daylen Everette, Ahmari Harvey, D'Shawn Jamison, Donte Kent, Tamon Lynum, Daryl Porter, Joey Porter Jr., Jalen Ramsey, Asante Samuel Jr., Doneiko Slaughter
When you zero in on the Steelers' deep group of cornerbacks, there's pedigree spanning more than a decade.
Five players were selected in the first three rounds in five different draft classes from 2016 and 2026. Jalen Ramsey, a first-rounder 10 years ago, and Daylen Everette, a third-rounder just a few months ago, are the bookends.
But in between, Jamel Dean was a third-rounder, Asante Samuel Jr. was a second-rounder and Joey Porter Jr. was a unique case of being taken with the 32nd overall pick to kick off the second night of the draft.
And while Brandin Echols isn't included in that, all he's done since entering the league as a sixth-rounder is find a way to start 22 games and play in 73 across five seasons with the Jets and the Steelers.
That's a top six of outside cornerbacks who could be a starting tandem in any combination. But the Steelers have the luxury of likely rolling with Porter and Dean as their primary duo, with the others slotting in as backups or inside corners or both.
Ramsey may well spend plenty of time at safety, too, as he did for most of the 2026 season. For now, though, he's still listed on the roster as a cornerback, where he has built a Hall of Fame-worthy career already.
Dean effectively replaces James Pierre in the equation, while Everette gives this unit a shot in the arm from a youth standpoint. Everette, the youngest player on the team having just turned 22 in early May, might be waiting in the wings once the regular season arrives. But he figures to be as busy as any rookie come training camp.
If Ramsey, Dean and Porter are solidified in their roles to the extent that they don't need to overdo it in July and August, look for Everette to get a heavy workload of snaps in his transition from Georgia to the NFL. Everette can learn from the veteran-laden room he's in while matching up with the likes of DK Metcalf, Michael Pittman Jr. and others in practice.
It wouldn't hurt for Everette to emerge as an option at the nickel spot, either, should those reps come his way. If not, Echols has experience in the slot, while 2025 seventh-rounder Donte Kent, practice squad staple D'Shawn Jamison and offseason pick-up Doneiko Slaughter compete there.
Down the line, Daryl Porter — who was elevated from the practice squad to appear in one game last season, at Detroit — as well as undrafted rookies Tamon Lynum and Ahmari Harvey will provide depth in Latrobe. Lynum, a Pitt product from right next door who began his college career at Nebraska, was signed to the roster after trying out at rookie minicamp.
Presiding over the cornerbacks will be well-respected pairing in their own right. Joe Whitt Jr. is both assistant head coach to Mike McCarthy and the secondary coach. Jason Simmons is the defensive backs coach and defensive passing game coordinator.
Whitt has been a defensive coordinator at this level, the past two years with Washington. Simmons played in the league, including for the Steelers from 1998-2001, then the Texans from 2002-07. Speaking of Simmons, how about this bit of Steelers trivia? Ben Roethlisberger's first NFL interception, in a 2004 preseason game in Pittsburgh, was picked off by Simmons.
Perhaps McCarthy can roll that tape when he's motivating his guys to make plays this preseason. Simmons played both safety and cornerback during his time in the NFL as a player.
