The Pittsburgh Steelers have found new life at the safety position with the tandem of Jalen Ramsey and Kyle Dugger. Pittsburgh utilized more two-deep safety looks against the Cincinnati Bengals in their win on Sunday, one potential reason the defense corralled Joe Flacco, Ja’Marr Chase, and the Bengals’ potent passing game.
Unfortunately for Juan Thornhill, that resurgence at safety for Pittsburgh left him without a job. Pittsburgh released Thornhill shortly after Ramsey’s move to free safety, letting him go the day after the Week 10 loss to the Los Angeles Chargers.
After a week in the free agency pool, Thornhill has landed with his new team, the Jacksonville Jaguars, who signed him to their practice squad on Monday.
Former Steelers safety Juan Thornhill hopes to resurrect his career with the Jacksonville Jaguars
The Jaguars needed help at safety after starter Eric Murray landed on Injured Reserve a couple of weeks ago, leaving them with a starting tandem of Andrew Wingard and Antonio Johnson with limited depth behind them. Thornhill might not step in right away with serious playing time, but he should offer veteran depth in a weakened deep secondary for Jacksonville.
Thornhill, who is 30 in his seventh NFL season, needs this opportunity in Jacksonville to stick to preserve his career. It’s been a steady decline over the past three seasons for the once-promising second-round pick for the Kansas City Chiefs, who he helped win two Super Bowls with.
In nine games for the Steelers, the first seven of which he served as the primary free safety, Thornhill struggled to fill the shoes of Minkah Fitzpatrick, who was traded to Miami ahead of the season. He allowed 15 of 17 passes in his coverage area to be completed, earning quarterbacks a 137.0 rating when targeting Thornhill. He had just one pass deflection and a fumble recovery outside of his 38 total tackles for Pittsburgh this season.
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Certainly, the Steelers made the right move by rearranging their safety position halfway through the season. Some of that was out of necessity, with DeShon Elliott likely to miss the rest of the regular season with a knee injury. But Kyle Dugger has stepped into his role well, picking up his first interception as a Steeler, taking it 74 yards for a touchdown to cushion the Steelers’ lead over Cincinnati on Sunday.
Whereas before safety was becoming a bit of a weak spot for Pittsburgh’s defense, it’s now a strength. It’s unfortunate for Thornhill that it came at his expense, but hopefully, he can take advantage of new opportunities in Jacksonville.