The loss of Minkah Fitzpatrick in the trade with the Miami Dolphins for Jalen Ramsey and Jonnu Smith stings, both on the field and in the locker room.
There’s no clear-cut replacement for Fitzpatrick at both safety and in the locker room as a respected leader. But for former NFL defensive back and FS1 analyst Will Blackmon, the Steelers already have that guy in place.
That would be veteran safety Juan Thornhill.
During an appearance on FS1’s The Facility earlier in the week, Blackmon stated that the Steelers got a lot better with the trade for Ramsey and Smith, and have a guy to step up and replace Fitzpatrick in Thornhill.
“I’m going to give you another name: Juan Thornhill, the safety that they got,” Blackmon said, praising Thornhill as a potential replacement for Fitzpatrick, according to video via FS1. “He has 74 starts, is a two-time Super Bowl champion. So, you lose Minkah, but you got a leader back there who knows exactly what to do, who knows exactly what it takes to win championships.
“And so I think, wholeheartedly, they got better. They got in a situation where they’re gonna compete, they’re gonna compete. I got them actually winning a playoff game this year and ending that drought.”
Blackmon stated earlier in the week that he believes the Steelers are being slept on, and that they got better with the trade, but adding Thornhill as the piece that will be the answer for the Fitzpatrick hole defensively is surprising.
Yes, Thornhill has plenty of NFL experience, having started 74 games and played in 87 games over six seasons in the NFL. But he’s coming off of two tough seasons with the Cleveland Browns after spending the first four seasons of his career with the Kansas City Chiefs.
With the Chiefs, Thornhill was a key defensive piece, starting 52 of 65 games, helping the Chiefs win two Super Bowls. But after his rookie contract was up, Thornhill signed a three–year, $21 million deal with the Browns, aiming to take on a larger role with Cleveland.
That didn’t exactly work out as Thornhill missed time in both seasons, playing just 11 games in 2023 and 2024. In that span, he didn’t force a single turnover, had just four passes defensed and his impact overall was limited, resulting in grades of just 67.3 and 65.1, playing just 602 snaps and 401 snaps in back-to-back seasons.
In his final season in Kansas City, Thornhill played 1,043 snaps alone.
His time in Cleveland was marred by the ugly lack of effort play late in the 2024 season against the New Orleans Saints. Thornhill was seen jogging on the play, which resulted in a New Orleans touchdown. It led to him getting criticized publicly, and it’s followed him to Pittsburgh, warping some thoughts on his talent and impact this season overall.
But Blackmon is a believer in the veteran. Losing Fitzpatrick on the back end is a big blow for the Steelers. He was a steady presence and a good communicator. Though the splash plays dried up the last two years, Fitzpatrick continued to play good football and kept a lid on things defneisvley for the Steelers.
Now, that onus could fall on Thornhill, assuming the Steelers don’t add another safety before training camp.
Ramsey can play some safety and was open to a move to safety as far back as 2021. DeShon Elliott remains in the mix and Fitzpatrick’s departure might open up a door for undrafted free agent Sebastian Castro to make the team.
Thornill can be that answer for the Steelers, though. He just needs to find his level of play he had in Kansas City. Blackmon believes it’s still in there and that people are overlooking Thornhill. We’ll see if that experience winning Super Bowls and playing in high-leverage situations translates to Pittsburgh.
