The Steelers have turned their roster over considerably this offseason, with some position rooms experiencing more upheaval than others. As we prepare for training camp, in this series, we’ll look back on the prominent faces no longer in Pittsburgh. For the sake of brevity, we’ll review them in groups, each headed by one of the bigger names.
OG James Daniels:
James Daniels told reporters in the spring that the Steelers told him they don’t plan to extend him. Turned out, they weren’t lying. Not only did they not sign him to an extension, they didn’t re-sign him. It didn’t help that he suffered a season-ending injury. But what really hurt him was then-rookie Mason McCormick, who filled his spot ably.
Going into the 2025 season, McCormick, a fourth-round small-school draft pick, is the Steelers’ uncontested starter at right guard. Considering they could have re-signed Daniels for about his original deal, I think that shows what they think of the young guy. They didn’t have to move on from Daniels, but they chose to.
CB Donte Jackson:
Donte Jackson is a player the Steelers and HC Mike Tomlin long admired and long sought to acquire. As it turned out, a one-year fix was all they really needed. In 2024, they finally traded for him and he started for one season.
While he recorded five interceptions, Jackson suffered from inconsistent play. Even more concerning, he seemingly always played hurt. It became a common occurrence for the Steelers that he would miss a series or two per game.
This offseason, the Steelers opted to sign Darius Slay on a one-year, $10 million deal. Released by the Eagles, he did not count against their compensatory formula, a key factor. Donte Jackosn instead signed a two-year, $13 million contract with the Los Angeles Chargers.
S Damontae Kazee:
After three seasons, the Steelers saw enough of S Damontae Kazee. Although they liked his locker room presence, his play on the field offered too much inconsistency. Instead, they signed Juan Thornhill to serve as the third safety.
By all appearances, the Steelers seem to like Thornhill a lot, and they hope to use him in three-safety packages. They have long favored that personnel grouping, and Thornhill offers more variety. Like Kazee, he can play in the slot, but he is arguably a stronger overall player. He takes fewer risks that put his teammates in bad position when they don’t pay off.
S Terrell Edmunds:
Did you forget that Terrell Edmunds was on the Steelers’ roster last year? That’s okay, because I did, too. They claimed him off waivers in September, releasing him in November. In all, he played in five games, logging 63 defensive snaps and 82 snaps on special teams. Up to the bye week, he began averaging about a dozen snaps per game. He did not play again after the bye, however, soon to be released.
