Brandon Boykin's time with the Pittsburgh Steelers in 2015 probably didn't go exactly how he planned. After the team acquired him from the Philadelphia Eagles late last preseason in exchange for a conditional pick, Boykin, a smaller cornerback who excelled at slot coverage during his time in Philly, but struggled to get any looks on the outside or, in other words, for a fulltime starting gig with the Eagles, was likely hopeful of showing what he could do and fighting for more playing time with the Steelers. Unfortunately, through the first 12 weeks of 2015, Boykin played even less in Pittsburgh than he'd gotten used to in Philadelphia. Now a pending unrestricted free agent, Boykin said recently that he's open to a return to the Steelers.
"At the end, the organization said they appreciated how I went about it, being a pro, not really talking about it," Boykin said, per ESPN's Jeremy Fowler. "I don't have any hard feelings toward Pittsburgh. Absolutely, under the right circumstances, for sure [I'd return]."
Boykin finished last season with 25 tackles, 1 sack, 1 forced fumble, 1 interception and 5 passes defensed. He played just 24.7 percent of the Steelers defensive snaps - not enough to turn the pick that went to Philly from a fifth-rounder to a fourth - and helped Pittsburgh over the last few weeks of the year turn themselves into one of the better defenses in the league.
Unfortunately, the Steelers are looking at an offseason wherein Boykin is just one of five free agents in the secondary. There's no denying Boykin's talent - he collected 6 interceptions with the Eagles in 2013 and played well when Pittsburgh coordinator Keith Butler gave him the chance - but the Steelers may now be the second franchise to give up on him. For as talented as he is, his size - 5-foot-10 - is probably a concern for most teams outside of Pittsburgh, a unit willing to play smaller guys like William Gay on the outside, and could keep him on the inside of whatever NFL defense he lands with.
