A late add to the roster of the Pittsburgh Steelers a week into training camp, all safety Trenton Thompson has done in his time in the Black and Gold is make plays.
That continued Sunday in Cincinnati. The former undrafted safety picked off Cincinnati’s Jake Browning deep in Pittsburgh territory, keeping the Bengals off the board and swinging momentum in the Steelers’ favor, helping lead to a 16-10 win over the Bengals.
For the second week in a row, Thompson started at safety and really took advantage of the opportunity. His interception against the Bengals earned quite a bit of praise from teammate T.J. Watt and head coach Mike Tomlin after the win that moved the Steelers to 7-4.
“Trent’s been balling. He really has. No one’s surprised by his success,” Watt said to reporters after the win, according to video via the Steelers’ YouTube page. “He had a phenomenal preseason. A guy that’s come in, he’s not doing a whole lot of talking and he’s trying to learn as much as possible and he’s performing.
“Credit to him.”
The Steelers signed Thompson on Aug. 2, adding depth to the safety position behind Minkah Fitzpatrick, Damontae Kazee, Keanu Neal and Miles Killebrew. Though Thompson didn’t make it onto the Steelers’ 53-man roster after final cuts, he landed on the practice squad and continued to make plays on scout team.
Then, when Fitzpatrick went down with a hamstring injury in Week Eight, Thompson got his opportunity, earning elevations against the Tennessee Titans and Green Bay Packers before earning his first start against the Cleveland Browns. Since then, he’s been signed to the 53-man roster and has made plays in big spots for the Steelers.
That includes Sunday with his interception of Browning.
After his pick, the Steelers marched down the field and scored on a 5-yard Najee Harris touchdown run to take a 10-7 lead. After that, Pittsburgh added two Chris Boswell field goals to make it 16-7 before the Bengals added a late field goal, capping the win on the road.
“One man’s misfortune is another man’s opportunity, and efforts like Trent’s make that real,” Tomlin said of his young safety who stepped up in a big way Sunday, according to video via the Steelers’ YouTube page. “And so we are really appreciative of it. I just think that that’s what team is about, particularly over the course of a journey that is a season. There’s gonna be opportunities for people to ascend and to change the perceptions of who they are professionally.
“And this guy’s been really excited about this opportunity. We’re excited for him, and he delivered.”
He continues to deliver in a big way for the Steelers and might be carving out a role for himself moving forward, even after Fitzpatrick returns and Neal comes off of Injured Reserve in a few weeks. That’s a credit to him and his production in recent weeks, taking advantage of the opportunity presented to him.
