Player: DeShon Elliott
Stock Value: Up
Reasoning: DeShon Elliott continues to make his presence felt through two games as a member of the Steelers. This past week, he recorded a team-high nine tackles, including a tackle for loss. During the season opener, he posted a key interception. He is already fitting in well with the new culture, familiar as he is with AFC North football.
The Steelers signed DeShon Elliott as a free agent on a two-year, $6 million contract. I don’t know about you, but so far, that is looking like a bargain. Considering they signed Damontae Kazee to the same deal last year, I think they are getting good early returns.
Especially when one of those returns is on the end of an interception, which Elliott managed last week. While he had no such splash play on Sunday against the Denver Broncos, he delivered consistently reliable play. That included a team-high nine tackles, among which was a tackle for loss.
Among Elliott’s nine tackles, five went for run stops. His most impressive play was a three-yard loss on 3rd and 1, which you can enjoy at your leisure. While the scheme allowed him the opportunity, he still finished the play. On the whole, the Steelers have been a good open-field tackling team so far, with some quality play from the secondary in particular, Elliott chief among them.
Elliot has been exactly what the Steelers have wanted in a strong safety for years. While they have gotten good play from the likes of Terrell Edmunds, for example, who is back on the roster, Elliott might actually be the best fit they have had there in a long time.
Then again, we are only talking about two games of football in a Steelers uniform. But this is who DeShon Elliott has been throughout his career, in Baltimore, and in Miami. Part of the reason that he signed here is because he knows he fits the Steelers’ brand of football. Through two games, he is proving that and then some.
As the season progresses, Steelers players’ stocks rise and fall. The nature of the evaluation differs with the time of year, with in-season considerations being more often short-term. Considerations in the offseason often have broader implications, particularly when players lose their jobs, or the team signs someone. This time of year is full of transactions, whether minor or major.
A bad game, a new contract, an injury, a promotion—any number of things affect a player’s value. Think of it as a stock on the market, based on speculation. You’ll feel better about a player after a good game, or worse after a bad one. Some stock updates are minor, while others are likely to be quite drastic, so bear in mind the degree. I’ll do my best to explain the nature of that in the reasoning section of each column.
