Having the ability to play in three-safety looks in today’s NFL while still being able to adequately defend the run is key. The Pittsburgh Steelers tried to do that at times late in the 2024 season with Minkah Fitzpatrick, DeShon Elliott and Damontae Kazee, but it didn’t work all that well due to some struggles from Kazee.
Now, they believe they have the proper piece in place after the signing of veteran Juan Thornhill this offseason.
Steelers head coach Mike Tomlin, who spoke to reporters Monday from the league’s owners meeting, praised Thornhill and stated the Steelers are very familiar with him having played against him in Kansas City and Cleveland all these years. He added that he expects Thornhill to be part of interchangeable pieces with Fitzpatrick and Elliott in an effort to challenge offenses.
“We’re gonna certainly mix that up. In today’s game you need three-safety structured defense for multiple-tight end sets and situational play. All of those guys are really versatile,” Tomlin said when asked about Thornhill and three-safety sets, according to video via Steelers.com. “We’re very familiar with Juan and his talents because we’ve competed against him. And so, that’s gonna be a fun endeavor to figure out how to divide the labor up and that certainly will change from time to time.
“We expect those guys to be interchangeable pieces and really, really provide a challenge for the offenses that we compete against.”
Adding Thornhill to the safety room was a sound move, as he brings good experience and versatility. He can allow Fitzpatrick and Elliott to move around and better attack opposing offenses.
Plus, he’s a player the Steelers showed interest in leading up to the 2019 NFL Draft, so it certainly checks out that they eventually circled back and landed a player who fits.
Thornhill is a player who can move all over the place defensively, even with him not doing that much in Cleveland the last two season. Prior to his time in Cleveland, the Kansas City Chiefs moved Thornhill around a bunch, including free safety, box safety and in the slot.
Across 4,657 NFL snaps, Thornill has played 3,079 at free safety, 802 in the box and 639 in the slot. That’s plenty of experience all over the place. Surprisingly, Cleveland never tapped into that.
Now, it seems like the Steelers will be trying to get back to that with Thornhill, who steps into a very good safety room with the likes of Fitzpatrick and Elliott. Having a third safety with the versatility and the experience that Thornhill provides should allow Steelers defensive coordinator Teryl Austin to move Fitzpatrick and Elliott around. That will allow them to hunt for splash plays, knowing that a guy like Thornhill will keep a lid on things over the top, or vice versa.
It was a sound signing, and it seems like he’s going to have a sizable role defensively, which is good news for those wanting the Steelers to run more three-safety sets.
