Antoine Brooks gets first chance to replace Mike Hilton as Steelers nickel DB

The trainer Mike Tomlin, true to his habits, played it down.

And it’s true that what happens in the first few practices of training camp doesn’t necessarily mean much once the games count.

But the fact that Antoine Brooks Jr. was playing first-team defense provided the biggest clue to date of what the Pittsburgh Steelers’ plans are for the top of their depth chart this season in slot / nickel.

All Tomlin would commit to Thursday is that Brooks will “likely start” on August 5 in the Hall of Fame game against the Dallas Cowboys in Canton, Ohio. After being told in a question on Brooks that the media will be urged not to read too much about Brooks’ first-team participation on Thursday, Tomlin replied, “Exactly what you said.”

Quarterback Ben Roethlisberger, however, was much more willing to talk about Brooks, a sixth-round pick last year in Maryland who only played 29 defensive snaps in 2020.

This is because, Roethlisberger confirmed, he was intercepted by Brooks.

“He played a great game,” Roethlisberger said. “I thought it was one of the sneakiest little slingshots I had ever seen. He would never have been called, but my angle was perfect to see him. I told him about it. He knew he had done it. Not only did he play a great (diving) game, he caught it. I smiled more and shook my head like it was a good game because we need these games.

The Steelers are in desperate need of someone to play the slot machine this season. The former four-year incumbent Mike Hilton has moved on by signing a $ 24 million contract with rival the Cincinnati Bengals.

The post is one of the few true open camp competitions, but there are few obvious answers. Aside from Cameron Sutton moving inside in the nickel with another player taking his place in the outside corner, Brooks’ 29 shots are the best candidates for the full-time gig.

Drafted more as a safety, Brooks’ versatility has always been considered his best asset by the Steelers.

“It fills in the shoes of Mike Hilton, who has been a rock on this defense for a while,” Roethlisberger said. “That he does that (interception), I was happy for him. As crazy as I was to throw an interception, it was a great game. ”