The Pittsburgh Steelers had more quality depth at the cornerback position the past two years than they have had in probably a good decade or so, with Joe Haden and Steven Nelson starting on the outside, Mike Hilton in the slot, and then Cameron Sutton as the veteran everyman who was their dime defender and spot starter at all three other positions.
Since then, Hilton signed as an unrestricted free agent with the Cincinnati Bengals on a four-year, $24 million contract. Nelson was released, thereby relieving the Steelers of more than $8 million in the base salary that he was due for the 2021 season.