The Pittsburgh Steelers signed S DeShon Elliott as a free agent this offseason, an underrated move that has paid major dividends as the seventh-year veteran has helped stabilize Pittsburgh’s secondary on the back end. He’s a really solid tackler and someone who can play close to the line of scrimmage and let Minkah Fitzpatrick handle the back end. Former Steelers head coach Bill Cowher said on The NFL Today that Elliott reminds him of Troy Polamalu with one of his traits.
“To me, it starts with these guys. Joey Porter [Jr.] on the outside, T.J. Watt on the edge, and DeShon Elliott. They picked him up this offseason, what he gives you is a little bit of an impersonation of Troy Polamalu from the back end, timing up the blitz,” Cowher said.
For as good as Polamalu was reading the quarterback and picking off passes, he was a playmaker all over the field and one of the best when it came to blowing plays up behind the line of scrimmage. Elliott is one of the best tacklers that Pittsburgh has had in its secondary in years, and he has 58 total tackles through eight games, earneing some praise from T.J. Watt.
Last season, the Steelers had to play Minkah Fitzpatrick close to the line of scrimmage and use him in the box and in the slot. The presence of Elliott has allowed Fitzpatrick to return to his more natural safety position. While he hasn’t forced a turnover yet this season, Fitzpatrick is still someone teams look to throw away from, and his presence alone on the back end improves Pittsburgh’s pass defense.
Elliott has excelled in his role too, and while a Polamalu comparison is lofty — he’s not even remotely the same all-around player that the Hall of Famer in Polamalu was –he provides some traits and ability to play in the backfield as a safety that is a little bit reminiscent of what Polamalu could do.
Pittsburgh’s defense has been one of its strengths this season, and a big part of that is having playmakers on every level. T.J. Watt and Alex Highsmith are two of the best edge rushers in the league while Cameron Heyward can clog up the middle as a run-stuffer and get after the quarterback with his bull rush. The linebacker corps is improving with Patrick Queen, Elandon Roberts and Payton Wilson, and Elliott on the back end with Fitzpatrick and Joey Porter Jr. out wide at corner give the Steelers a lot of talent in every area of their defense.
If the defense and Elliott can play the way they did in the first half of the season down the stretch, Pittsburgh should be a contender in the AFC.
