During Sunday's Week 1 win over the New York Jets, Pittsburgh Steelers starting strong safety DeShon Elliott went down with a scary knee injury. Involved in a tackle, Elliott's leg got trapped underneath him, and he grimaced in pain as his knee twisted when going to the ground.
Elliott was quickly helped off the field, where he hobbled into the blue medical tent and was later ruled out for the game. Now, the Steelers' latest roster move could spell bad news for Elliott's health.
On Tuesday, NFL insider Ian Rapoport reported that the Steelers are expected to sign veteran safety Jabrill Peppers. Peppers was a former first-round pick by the Cleveland Browns in the 2017 NFL Draft. After two years in Cleveland, Peppers spent three years with the Giants, followed by three years with the Patriots.
With 99 career starts, Peppers has seen plenty of action at strong safety over the years, and like Elliott, he does his best work from the box. Unfortunately, this signing likely means that DeShon Elliott could miss a significant amount of time due to the knee injury.
The Pittsburgh Steelers suddenly have major concerns at safety after DeShon Elliott's injury
If this were 2019, Pittsburgh Steelers fans would be stoked about the idea of landing two high-profile draft picks at the safety position in Jabrill Peppers and Juan Thornhill. Both players drew plenty of buzz coming out of college, but the luster has since worn off.
Now Thornhill is 30 years old, and Peppers is 29, and both players have bounced around the league. Thankfully, Thornhill showed promise for the Steelers during the summer, while Peppers is coming off one of the better seasons of his career (albeit in limited action).
READ MORE: Titans are paying $82 million to learn what Steelers already knew
Still, going from Minkah Fitzpatrick and DeShon Elliott to Juan Thornhill and Jabrill Peppers in just one offseason feels like a significant downgrade. At this juncture, we don't know how much action Elliott is slated to miss, but the Peppers signing seems to suggest the injury is serious.
Peppers played in just six games for the Patriots last season, but started all six. During that time, he recorded 40 tackles and one interception.
Over his eight-year career, the former first-round pick has racked up 511 total tackles, 30 tackles for a loss, 15 quarterback hits, 35 passes defended, six forced fumbles, seven fumble recoveries, and seven interceptions.
If Peppers is asked to hit the ground running as a plug-and-play starter on the Pittsburgh Steelers' defense, let's hope he's up for the challenge.
UPDATE: NFL Insider Jordan Schultz reports that DeShon Elliott is expected to miss a couple of weeks with an MCL sprain.