Steelers, Giants and Rams could have interest in Eagles 26-year-old release candidate

Three teams that should be in the market for a slot cornerback this offseason are the Pittsburgh Steelers, New York Giants and Los Angeles Rams.

After starting off the year as the team's primary slot cornerback, Jalen Ramsey was moved to safety, which led to Pittsburgh utilizing multiple players at the position without much success.

Now, Ramsey is a cut candidate this offseason, and even if he's brought back, the Steelers will likely view him as a safety.

The Giants deployed Dru Phillips as their slot corner in 2025, but the former third-round pick left a bit to be desired and New York could use an upgrade or, at the very least, some competition.

In Los Angeles, two of the Rams' slot cornerbacks, Roger McCreary and Cobie Durant, are pending free agents and may not return.

General manager Les snead said the team will attack the cornerback position overall, so we'd expect Los Angeles to make some noise on the open market.

One potential option for those teams is Philadelphia Eagles cornerback Michael Carter, who The Athletic's Brooks Kubena labeled as a cut candidate for this offseason.

Here's Kubena's thoughts on the Eagles cutting Carter:

The Eagles can get $8.7 million in cap savings by cutting Carter. There is no other player who offers them savings above $3.7 million. That makes this decision fairly easy. GM Howie Roseman secured depth after rookie safety Drew Mukuba fractured his ankle, using a midseason trade that sent WR John Metchie III to the New York Jets for Carter and a swap of Day 3 picks. With Mukuba returning, the Eagles’ need for Carter simply does not outweigh the savings they’d get by releasing him. Carter also played nickel for the Jets, but Cooper DeJean netted an All-Pro selection at that position, which certainly suggests nickel will be his home base. The Eagles can spend their savings on other positional needs — perhaps a CB2 with Adoree’ Jackson’s contract expiring.

Acquired last October in a trade with the New York Jets, Carter, who has two more years left on his three-year, $30 million deal, didn't play much in Philly, with the veteran cornerback appearing on just 20% of snaps over eight games.

Knowing that, and with Cooper DeJean locking down the slot and Drew Mukuba returning from injury, there really is no need for the Eagles to keep Carter.

Carter has proven himself to be an asset as a slot cornerback during his career and was once considered one of the better ones in the NFL before landing an extension with the Jets.

In five seasons, he has given up a completion rate of 64.5% and a passer rating of 83.3 when targeted. He was truly elite in 2023, when Carter posted the seventh-highest Pro Football Focus coverage grade.

While Carter's numbers haven't been as good the past two seasons, he was also stuck on one of the worst teams in the NFL in that span.

It's conceivable that Carter, who is still just 26 years old, will bounce back in a better situation, and the Steelers, Giants and Rams can all offer him that.

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