The Pittsburgh Steelers’ defense can ill afford absences after a rocky start against the New York Jets. Unfortunately, they watched as safety DeShon Elliott left the field with an apparent knee injury.
Elliott met Breece Hall and a few Steelers defenders at the line of scrimmage while T.J. Watt blew up Justin Fields in the backfield, who kept the ball on a read option. Elliott was caught in the mashup with Hall and came away from the play favoring his left leg.
He neglected assistance from the Steelers’ trainers and walked off the field under his own power, directly into the blue medical tent.
The Pittsburgh Steelers already struggling on defense before injury struck
Pittsburgh has struggled on defense in every phase, especially on the ground, where the Jets picked up over 80 yards in the first half before Elliott’s injury. The secondary hasn’t been much better against the pass either. At the time of Elliott’s injury, Fields was 8 of 9 passing with 126 yards and a touchdown strike to Garrett Wilson.
With Elliott on the sidelines, the Steelers turn to Chuck Clark, a former Baltimore Raven and Jet, who signed with the team at the start of training camp. Last season, Clark picked up 69 tackles and deflected two passes.
Elliot’s injury has left him doubtful to return to the contest, so Clark will likely fill the role at safety the rest of the way. Of course, the Steelers also have special teams ace Miles Killebrew and cornerback Jalen Ramsey at their disposal if need be.
READ MORE: Steelers Already Struggling on Defense Before Injury Struck
Elliott quickly became a force in the Steelers' secondary last season after coming over from Baltimore. He had 108 tackles, six pass deflections, and an interception in his first season with the franchise.
We’ll continue to monitor Elliott’s status as more information becomes available.