The Pittsburgh Steelers pulled off a surprising move, releasing cornerback Arthur Maulet and opening a hole in their secondary.

Mike Tomlin always has a plan, but on the surface this is a bit surprising.

Pittsburgh released veteran cornerback Arthur Maulet, who had 106 tackles, an interception, two sacks, and two forced fumbles in 33 regular-season appearances for the Steelers over two seasons. Maulet and Pittsburgh had a disagreement over his contract, and the 29-year-old wants a fresh start elsewhere and ideally more money.

The Steelers haven't made the move official yet, which means they could still trade Maulet should they receiver a decent offer. However, given the contract dispute has been made public, they'd be taking a discount for his services. Something is better than nothing, though.

Why did the Steelers release Arthur Maulet?

Releasing Maulet saved the Steelers just under $2 million. He all but sealed the deal when he requested a larger contract. As I suggested in a recent column on potential post-NFL Draft cuts, Maulet's roster spot was no guarantee:

"The Steelers selected two defensive backs in the NFL Draft in Joey Porter Jr. and Corey Trice. While Porter Jr. is the bigger name, Trice had a third-to-fourth round grade, but fell to the seventh.

So, what does this mean for a core of Pittsburgh veterans that struggled against the pass at times last season? The Steelers already brought in some fresh faces in Patrick Peterson and Chandon Sullivan. Clearly, Mike Tomlin and Omar Khan were unhappy with this phase of their defense last season.

Arthur Maulet could be the odd man out. Currently listed as the backup left defensive back behind Peterson, Maulet has just one year left on his contract…"

Pittsburgh's depth chart offered them a bit of flexibility at the position. However, there is a lot of youth in this secondary. Expect a corresponding move to be made within the comforts of the cap for Omar Kahn and Co.