Key stats show why the Pittsburgh Steelers re-signed CB Arthur Maulet
The Pittsburgh Steelers took a step back from its infamous "Blitzburgh" identity in 2021, but don't tell that to slot corner Arthur Maulet. 2021 saw the Steelers' blitz rate fall below 30% for the first time since 2014, but that didn't stop Mike Tomlin/Keith Butler from sending Maulet after opposing quarterbacks. Per Sports Info Solutions, […]
The Pittsburgh Steelers took a step back from its infamous "Blitzburgh" identity in 2021, but don't tell that to slot corner Arthur Maulet.
2021 saw the Steelers' blitz rate fall below 30% for the first time since 2014, but that didn't stop Mike Tomlin/Keith Butler from sending Maulet after opposing quarterbacks. Per Sports Info Solutions, the Steelers blitzed Maulet on 36 pass snaps in 2021, which is the fourth-highest total among all corners in 2021.
When you take total pass snaps into account, Maulet blitzed on 15.7% of pass snaps in 2021, which is easily the highest mark among all starting corners. The next-highest is the Tennessee Titans' Elijah Molden, who blitzed on 11.2% of pass snaps.
Maulet never sacked a quarterback, but he was effective in regard to creating pressure. Per SIS, Maulet finished 2021 with a pressure rate of 27.3%, which was fourth-highest among all cornerbacks with at least six pressures on the year. His 5.0% positive play rate also led all corners with a least six pressures. He logged one forced fumble and his five quarterback hits tied for the fourth-most among all corners, as well.
The sixth-year corner isn't just an effective blitzer, however. Per Pro Football Focus, Maulet graded out as the seventh-best run defender and had the sixth-most tackles in run defense out of all corners in 2021. His 11.6% stop rate led all corners with at least 140 run defense snaps, his 7.4% missed tackle rate ranked 21st out of 103 qualifying corners, and his sixth-best 2.2 average depth of tackle mark showed that he isn't afraid to come up and put his nose in the run game.
Maulet isn't a complete corner, by any means. He needs to drastically improve his coverage skills and it's obvious the Steelers believe that considering how they rotated rookie Tre Norwood in on passing downs. At the same time, it's hard to imagine the Steelers taking Maulet's role away when considering how effective he was in 2021.
These numbers show that Maulet carved a nice, effective role in Pittsburgh in 2021. And while he's obviously a role player, the Steelers appear to value that role. This is evidenced by the fact they re-signed Maulet to a two-year deal as opposed to a one-year, prove-it deal.
How 2022 shakes out remains to be seen, but Maulet definitely has momentum heading into the year and it will be interesting to see how/if he improves throughout the year.
Featured image via Benny Sieu-USA TODAY Sports
