Welcome to the terrible take a mini podcast telling Steelers nation what's on our mind.

I'm Josh Carney. All off season, the talk about X factors for the Pittsburgh Steelers

in the 2023 season have ranged from the obvious

likes of quarterback Kenny Pickett to running back Nagee Harris outside linebacker T.J. Watt and even

inside linebacker Cole Holcomb, all will certainly be important to the success

of the black and gold in the upcoming season for a myriad of reasons.

But one name that hasn't been talked about much is an X factor, but is the most important, at least from my perspective, is veteran cornerback Patrick Peterson.

Peterson was signed in Free Agency to try and replace Cameron Sutton, who departed for the Detroit

Lions early in the Free Agency window.

During his tenure with the Steelers, especially the last two seasons, Sutton wore a number of hats for the Steelers defensively and allowed defensive coordinators Keith Butler and Terrell Austin to run a number of different looks on the back end. Sutton was able to handle

press man duties on the boundary on an island and was versatile enough to slide

inside to the slot in sub-package football. He could carry the seam with ease and was just a very smart player overall, whether it was in man or zone.

They'll need that from Peterson now moving forward.

Though he's entering his age 33 season and his best football is certainly behind him. Peterson is a very cerebral player.

He remains extremely confident in his abilities and knows he's more advanced

mentally than physically at this point.

Shortly after signing with the Steelers in March, he stated that while he may be a step

slower, nothing will surprise him because he's seen it all and prepared for it all. I sure hope so.

For the Steelers to have the success that they are aiming for in 2023, the

cornerback position needs to get up to speed in a hurry.

That starts with Peterson.

He's not going to be a one-to-one replacement for Sutton, but if he can be that versatile

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