Ever since the Pittsburgh Steelers and Miami Dolphins swapped All-Pro defensive backs Minkah Fitzpatrick and Jalen Ramsey, many have wondered how exactly the Steelers planned to address the safety position. DeShon Elliott played well as the primary box safety in 2024, but he doesn't have the range or coverage chops to replace Fitzpatrick's role.
Free agent addition Juan Thornhill has experience as a deep safety, but his play has cratered since leaving the Chiefs back in 2023. In four years with Kansas City, he racked up 20 pass breakups and eight interceptions. In his two seasons for the Browns, he had just four pass breakups and zero picks.
With no exciting options on the roster, another move was expected at some point. Now, two days into training camp, General Manager Omar Khan has finally added to the position.
Chuck Clark is now a member of the Steelers after spending years with the rival Baltimore Ravens, the team announced on X. He also played for the Jets in 2024, so Aaron Rodgers gets to play with a former teammate, even if it isn't one of the many that have been speculated about. Will it be enough to make safety a non-issue?
Chuck Clark's addition gives Pittsburgh Steelers another dart throw at safety
While Clark is a solid player with plenty of experience (75 career starts), he is likely just depth and another option should Thornhill struggle mightily to begin the season. The Jets' safety play last year was abysmal, and Clark was a big part of that.
He was coming off an ACL injury, so maybe he can bounce back and be the quality safety he was for years in Baltimore. Even still, he likely isn't going to be a fit to replace the deep safety role left open by the Fitzpatrick-Ramsey trade.
Early indications from camp suggest that Ramsey himself could be part of the solution, at least while the defense is in their base look.
That being said, the depth at safety before the addition of Clark was hard to look at. Even if he doesn't earn a starting role during camp, having a veteran in place to avoid forcing special teams ace Miles Killebrew or undrafted rookie Sebastian Castro onto the field is a smart move by the Steelers.