Steelers' New Defensive Back Labeled A Very Surprising Star At Minicamp

The Pittsburgh Steelers hope to resolve all of the defensive woes that stripped any hopes of competing late in the season in 2024. Through their 10-3 start, the black and gold's defense was one of the most elite and feared units in the entire NFL, but the four-game losing streak to conclude the regular season was a clear indication that adjustments need to be made. The front office attacked the offseason by bolstering the defensive front and the secondary in hopes that neither unit becomes a liability in 2025.

Entering last season, the Steelers added DeShon Elliott to the safety position to pair him up with Minkah Fitzpatrick. Backing them up was mostly Damontae Kazee, who spent the last three seasons with Pittsburgh before signing with the Cleveland Browns this offseason. The Steelers and Browns essentially swapped backup safeties through free agency because almost two months prior to Kazee's new deal, Pittsburgh had signed safety Juan Thornhill. 

Thornhill spent his first four seasons as a professional with the Kansas City Chiefs, before spending two years in Cleveland. Thornhill, a very much versatile safety, did not have a swell season with the Browns last season, and he's looking to bounce back big in 2025 with the more dominant AFC North franchise. 

Throughout Organized Team Activities (OTAs) and mandatory minicamp, which just wrapped up, Thornhill has been a new member to the defense that has caught the attention of Steelers insiders. On Friday, Mark Kaboly shared his thoughts on how Thornhill has looked so far through the early stages of the offseason. 

"Thornhill is probably one of the unheralded stars of OTAs and minicamp," Kaboly started. "He's better than - who was it - Kazee, last year."

 

Kazee saw just over 26 percent of snaps last season, while Elliott and Fitzpatrick were nearly constantly on the field. His limited amount of playing time could be a reason why he saw little success last season, but nonetheless, Pittsburgh wanted an upgrade over Kazee in 2025 at the position. 

With Thornhill's versatility, hopefully he will get more time on the field as opposed to Kazee. It may be beneficial to give Fitzpatrick and Elliott more breaks to regroup and energize before an important sequence. Thornhill recently spoke about how tiring it gets being constantly on the field, and that could potentially be something that's been holding back Fitzpatrick's play over the last couple of seasons. 

Steelers' Secondary Is The Least Confident Group Of The Defense Entering 2025

The Steelers attacked this year's draft by adding many bodies to the defensive line, which was their biggest weak point at the end of 2024. The pass rush and run stop should be, without a doubt, an area that the Steelers won't struggle again in for awhile now that their are young and capable players for the future behind Cam Heyward. Pittsburgh also has a stout linebacker core, leaving the defensive backs as the group with the most to prove. 

Along with Thornhill, new additions to the secondary include Darius Slay and Brandin Echols, who will likely compete with Beanie Bishop Jr for the starting nickel spot. Joey Porter Jr also looks to have a big third year, as he continues to learn with the defense. 

The Steelers certainly have the guys to be an all-around elite defense, but a full-season of dominance has been hard to come by for Pittsburgh. The new additions like Thornhill and Slay could be the moves fans look back on at the end of a season.

Thornhill's role is actually vital to the secondary and defense replacing Kazee. The Steelers don't have a ton of other help at safety, other than Miles Killebrew, who is predominantly a special teams member. Kaboly, of of the best Steelers beat reporters in the media, says Thornhill has started off strong in Pittsburgh. What kind of season do you expect Thornhill to have behind Fitzpatrick and Elliott?