Steelers Inviting Veteran CB Anthony Averett to Rookie Minicamp

The Pittsburgh Steelers are inviting veteran cornerback Anthony Averett to their rookie minicamp, according to Tom Pelissero of NFL Network.

Pittsburgh needs help in the slot, and that position remains vacant with only a few options on the roster. Those include Beanie Bishop and Josiah Scott, but Averett could provide a solid player who could push for that job. He spent much of last season on the Detroit Lions practice squad.

Averett, 29, was drafted in the fourth round out of Alabama by the Baltimore Ravens. He would go from there after his rookie contract ended in 2021 to the Las Vegas Raiders on a one-year contract. From there, he spent 2023 hopping between the San Francisco 49ers and Lions.

Throughout his career, Averett has three interceptions, 23 pass deflections, and 114 tackles. The 5-foot-11 cornerback earned most of those stats while with the Ravens. He has also dealt with a multitude of injuries, including a broken thumb in 2022 and shoulder and hamstring injuries in 2020.

Averett has spent far more time on the outside than in the slot, but he has experience in the slot over his career, amassing over 200 career snaps there. So, he is an inside-out capable player that could provide some needed versatility to the Steelers secondary.

Over the last two offseason, the Steelers have signed and/or traded for linebacker Kwon Alexander, tackle Dylan Cook, tackle Jesse Davis, safety Terrell Edmunds, outside linebacker Marcus Golden, safety Damontae Kazee, defensive tackle Larry Ogunjobi and Sullivan between the end of the draft and the start of the preseason.

In other words, a veteran like Averett would just add another chapter to the book that Khan has written well over his first two periods as general manager.

The Steelers have plenty of salary cap space after restructuring Alex Highsmith’s deal last week. So, with two big holes in the Steelers’ offseason depth chart, don’t fret. The Khan Artist is still at work.