Steelers New Defensive Back Surprisingly Impressive at OTAs
The Steelers are hoping to resolve their defensive issues this year. The team started last season strong. However, they ended the regular season with a four-game losing streak. The Steelers have been using the offseason to strengthen their defensive front and their secondary. In March of last year, the Steelers signed safety DeShon Elliott and paired him up with safety Minkah Fitzpatrick. The team inked a two-year contract with Elliott. Safety Damontae Kazee backed them up. Kazee was with the Steelers for three seasons. This May, he signed a contract with the Cleveland Browns.
This March, the Steelers signed safety Juan Thornhill to a one-year deal. Thornhill has been catching the attention of Steelers insiders during mandatory minicamp and OTAs. Mark Kaboly spoke about Thornhill’s performance so far this offseason. Kaboly said, “Thornhill is probably one of the unheralded stars of OTAs and minicamp.” He added, “He's better than - who was it - Kazee, last year.” Thornhill is confident in his abilities to do anything the Steelers ask of him. During the minicamp, he said, “I feel like I’m very versatile. I can cover receivers, I can cover tight ends, I can blitz, I can play in the box. I can do everything that they need me to do. Whatever they ask me to do is what I plan on doing.”
Thornhill is six feet tall and weighs 205 pounds. He was selected by the Kansas City Chiefs during the second round of the 2019 NFL Draft. That year, he was named to the Pro Football Writers of America All-Rookie team. During his four seasons with the Chiefs, he started in 52 of the 65 games he played. Thornhill became a Super Bowl Champion twice with the Chiefs. The Chiefs defeated the San Francisco 49ers with a score of 31-20 in Super Bowl LIV. The Chiefs defeated the Philadelphia Eagles 38-35 in Super Bowl LVII. Thornhill joined the Browns in March of 2023. He started in all 22 of the games he played in. The Browns released Thornhill from his contract on February 24th of this year. Throughout his NFL career, Thornhill has amassed 335 tackles, 232 of which were solo stops. He’s had eight interceptions, including one that was returned for a 46-yard touchdown. He’s defended 24 passes. He’s also had six tackles for a loss and one sack.
