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Omar Khan Happy To Have ‘Gritty’ Juan Thornhill With Steelers

Juan Thornhill

For the past several seasons, Minkah Fitzpatrick has held down the backend of the Pittsburgh Steelers defense. However, that’s going to change this year. This offseason, the Steelers traded Fitzpatrick to the Miami Dolphins, receiving Jalen Ramsey and Jonnu Smith in return. That seemingly left them with a big void at safety. Veteran Juan Thornhill, who the team signed this offseason, looks to be on track to take over Fitzpatrick’s role. Omar Khan sounds happy to have Thornhill on the Steelers.

“He really is gritty,” Khan said Friday to Pat Kirwan and Jim Miller of Movin’ the Chains on SiriusXM NFL Radio.Gritty’s a good word. He’s an experienced guy. He’s been in Kansas City and Cleveland, and he’s played a lot of football games. Enjoyed having him around and feel good about where we are with the defensive backs.”

Thornhill was originally selected by the Kansas City Chiefs in the second round of the 2019 draft. He spent four seasons with them, recording eight interceptions and overall being a quality player. Then in 2023, he joined the Cleveland Browns with less success.

In his two seasons with the Browns, Thornhill struggled and didn’t record an interception. However, some of that might have been due to injuries. Thornhill missed six games in each of his two years with the Browns.

Therefore, he could be in for a bounce-back season with the Steelers. In training camp so far, Thornhill has stood out and looked like a reliable player. That grittiness is also on full display. Recently, he and Jonnu Smith had a dustup in practice, showing how Thornhill can get under an opponent’s skin.

However, it’s still unclear what the Steelers secondary will look like. Ramsey is a chess piece that they’ve had all over the place in the secondary during practices, and that includes safety. Alongside DeShon Elliott and Chuck Clark, Pittsburgh could have a nice rotation of safeties.

That could allow the Steelers to deploy some more exotic looks. Still, Thornhill should have plenty of opportunities to get on the field. At its best, grittiness and toughness have defined the Steelers defense. They’re hoping to have one of the best units in the league this year, and Thornhill could help them do that. If he stays healthy, fans should get a look at that fiery attitude on the field this year.

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