PITTSBURGH — The Pittsburgh Steelers may have had a gift for their defense fall into their laps. The attention in Pittsburgh is solely focused on the Aaron Rodgers signing and the impact he will have on the offense, but the defensive side of the ball is where the organization has invested the most money and draft picks.
While the defense is expected to be a top-5 unit in the NFL this season, the Steelers may not be done adding to the group. According to ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler, the Green Bay Packers are set to release former Pro Bowl cornerback Jaire Alexander, which could pave the way for Pittsburgh to swoop in and snag another star for their secondary.
Alexander enters the 2025 NFL season at 28 years old. The former first round pick of the Packers in 2018 quickly became a top CB in the NFL. Between 2020 and the 2022 seasons, he made two Pro Bowl appearances. His success earned him a recent $84 million deal that made him the highest-paid CB in the NFL at the time of the signing. He also was a former teammate of Rodgers in Green Bay, giving him another tie to the Steelers.
His best campaign came in 2022, when he started 16 games and put on an absolute clinic on a weekly basis. He nabbed five interceptions to go with 14 passes defended.
The problem in the two seasons since is injuries. He’s been limited to just seven games in each of the past two years, and it’s obviously robbed him of the production he was used to having.
The Steelers could take a gamble on Alexander despite the injury risk. With starters Joey Porter Jr and Darius Slay locked into place, the addition of Alexander would make their defensive back depth the best it’s been in recent memory. It may not be Alexander’s first choice, but the Steelers should look into adding another veteran Pro Bowler to their defensive group.
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