The Pittsburgh Steelers have needs across the board after the first week of free agency. Starters from last year like Dan Moore Jr., Najee Harris, Elandon Roberts, and Larry Ogunjobi have found new homes, and the front office hasn't gone above and beyond to patch their roster holes.
While Pittsburgh's free agency departures may feel insignificant, we know how important depth is to an NFL roster. The team witnessed this last year along the offensive line when Troy Fautanu, James Daniels, and Nate Herbig each went down with season-ending injuries.
On Monday, the Steelers inked Cleveland Browns free-agent safety Juan Thornhill to a one-year contract. Four years ago, fans would have been ecstatic about this. In 2025, this feels like a run-of-the mill signing on the surface.
But don't be quick to label the Thornhill signing as insignificant.
Juan Thornhill is the perfect insurance policy for MInkah Fitzpatrick and DeShon Elliott for the Pittsburgh Steelers
One position that hasn't been talked about enough this offseason as it pertains to the Pittsburgh Steelers is safety. Mike Tomlin's team has a strong safety pairing of Minkah Fitzpatrick and DeShon Elliott. However, their depth outside of these two players was a major concern. Prior to signing Thornhill, the backups on the roster were Miles Killebrew, Ryan Watts, and Joshuah Bledsoe.
Killebrew is a special teams ace by trade who saw just nine defensive snaps in 17 games last year. The veteran can see the field in a pinch, but only as a box safety. Meanwhile, Killebrew turns 32 years old shortly after the NFL Draft, and his speed could fail him in the late stages of his career.
Watts, who looked promising last summer, suffered a season-ending neck injury on the final live snap of his preseason in 2024 and missed his entire rookie season. He has yet to log an NFL snap, while Bledsoe is a journeyman reserve safety who's only seen the field for four games since entering the league in 2021 while recording a grand total of 22 defensive snaps in his career.
So, if we do the math, the total number of defensive snaps played in 2024 between Killebrew, Watts, and Bledsoe is... nine. That's it.
That's where Thornhill comes in. The second-round pick by the Kansas City Chiefs in 2019 has started 74 of 87 games in the NFL. Though injuries have been an issue over the years, Thornhill logged 401 defensive snaps for the Browns in 11 games in 2024.
Thornhill isn't perfect. He's only an average run defender and his effort came into question at times last year with the Browns. Additionally, despite being known for his ball-hawking skills in college and with the Chiefs, he's on a two-year drought without an interception. This can turn around quickly if given the opportunity.
But it's what could happen to the Steelers in 2025 that makes this signing essential.
If Minkah Fitzpatrick or DeShon Elliott were to go down for any length of time this year—or heaven forbid suffer a season-ending injury—Thornhill offers the perfect insurance policy. The veteran defensive back started his first three seasons as a free safety for the Chiefs before moving to strong safety in Year 4, then bouncing around the secondary for Cleveland over the past two seasons.
This is also a sneaky-good signing because it allows the Steelers more freedom in the NFL Draft. Though the Steelers were unlikely to select a safety early, to begin with, they can come away from the 2025 NFL Draft without taking a safety at all and devoting their limited draft capital elsewhere.
Juan Thornhill's experience, versatility, and feel for the game make him the ideal third safety on an NFL roster. Now the Pittsburgh Steelers are covered if injuries strike Fitzpatrick or Elliott in 2025.