New Pittsburgh Steelers safety DeShon Elliott and linebacker Patrick Queen were teammates with the Baltimore Ravens in 2020 and 2021, and the two will reunite on Pittsburgh’s defense in 2024. In fact, it was actually Queen who called Elliott to ask him if he wanted to join the Steelers, as Elliott told Missi Matthews in a 1-on-1 interview for Steelers.com.
Elliott said that Queen was playing video games and Elliott was in bed, but he called Elliott and asked if he wanted to become a Steeler.
“He was like, do you wanna become a Steeler? I was like, what do you mean? He goes, I was talking to the GM, do you wanna become a Steeler? I was like, freak yeah, bro, hell yeah, I’ll come play with you; what are you talking about? And so the next day, made it happen.”
Elliott spent the past two years away from Baltimore, playing for the Detroit Lions in 2022 before having a solid season with the Miami Dolphins in 2023, which included a career-high seven passes defensed along with 82 total tackles and an interception in 15 games. Elliott will now join Pittsburgh’s safety room and is likely the current favorite to start alongside Minkah Fitzpatrick in Pittsburgh’s secondary.
Both he and Queen got to know each other during their time with the Ravens, and now they’re joining the other side of the Steelers-Ravens rivalry. For Queen, he’s ready to embrace the villain role, while Elliott told Matthews he’s excited to get back to the AFC North because it’s “real football.” Elliott loves to hit and said he prefers to play in the box, which could give the Steelers a similar dynamic to what they had in 2022, with Fitzpatrick patrolling the secondary while Terrell Edmunds had more of a box safety role.
The Steelers could still look to add to their safety room, but Elliott is a really solid signing at a good price. If he can stay healthy, he’s going to be an impact player for Pittsburgh’s defense, and it’s a fun little anecdote that Queen was the one who called him to let him know of Pittsburgh’s interest in bringing him aboard. It all got wrapped up quickly after that, and the two of them both had their introductory press conferences on Friday, along with new Steelers quarterback Russell Wilson.
In what’s been a whirlwind of an offseason, Elliott is a really under-the-radar addition for the Steelers and one that could pay some nice dividends on the field in 2024.
