The Pittsburgh Steelers' defensive back group is wildly different in 2025. Out with Minkah Fitzpatrick, in comes Jalen Ramsey, Darius Slay, and Juan Thornhill. While Ramsey and Slay are the big-name additions, Thornhill undoubtedly carries the most pressure of the trio.
Thornhill was a quiet addition this offseason, one that seemed to indicate his starting days in the NFL might be finished. But only a few weeks after he signed a one-year, $3 million contract, he was thrust back into a starting gig when Fitzpatrick was dealt back to Miami.
Juan Thornhill has everything to prove for the Pittsburgh Steelers
Thornhill was a two-time Super Bowl champion with the Kansas City Chiefs over the first four seasons of his career, but his two years with the Cleveland Browns were largely uneventful. After snagging eight interceptions and deflecting 20 passes in Kansas City, his production plummeted in Cleveland with zero picks and just four pass breakups.
The Steelers fanbase was already a bit perplexed by Fitzpatrick’s drop-off in statistical production over the past couple of seasons. While early in his stint in Pittsburgh, Fitzpatrick was an electric playmaker with 17 interceptions and three forced fumbles in his first four seasons with the club, he only secured one of each over the past two seasons (and both instances came in 2025).
That striking similarity is a draw for concern. While Thornhill is the cheapest starter on the defense who isn’t on a rookie contract, Steelers fans will be hoping for more production at the free safety position than what he offered Cleveland the past two years.
Still, one bright spot is that Thornhill has been rather consistent throughout his career in coverage. Excluding his rookie season, which saw him allow just 43% of passes in his area to be completed, Thornhill has allowed a steady average of 63% to be completed since. He also averages three touchdowns allowed per season.
Those are rather pedestrian numbers, but they are better than what Fitzpatrick posted last year, as he allowed 79% of passes to be completed and gave up four scores. Still, Fitpatrick’s coverage stats were much better before last season.
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Currently, only Quindell Johnson, a third-year player on his fifth team, is behind Thornhill on the depth chart. Only a late splash signing for a Justin Simmons or Marcus Williams or the idea of Jalen Ramsey moving to free safety at 31 years old stands in the way of Thornhill being the starter for the 2025 season.
If Thornhill is the starter in the deep middle third of the Steelers' defense, the pressure will be on for him to revitalize his career in Pittsburgh like Fitzpatrick once did. Otherwise, he’ll be viewed as the weak link in the defense, which could mean trouble for the backend of the Steelers' defense.