In training camp, Juan Thornhill was extremely excited to be a part of this Pittsburgh Steelers defense. He was very confident in the unit, going as far as to say it could be the best in NFL history.
Just three weeks into the season, he may not be a sizeable part of it going forward.
“It does seem like Juan Thornhill already has fallen out of favor to some degree,” Steelers insider Brian Batko wrote Thursday in his Pittsburgh Post-Gazette reader mailbag. “I don’t know if it was the miscommunication against the Seahawks on the Tory Horton touchdown that had Teryl Austin cussing up a storm days later or a multitude of factors.”
This is the play Batko is referring to.
This is the type of play that makes Steelers fans want to rip their hair out. There is no reason, other than the miscommunication from Juan Thornhill, for Tory Horton to be that wide open in the end zone. Jalen Ramsey makes an effort to close the gap, but it’s too little too late. These same issues plagued the unit throughout the 2024 season and were a big reason for the Steelers’ collapse defensively. To see them resurface this year, with both New York and Seattle beating them on the same concept in back-to-back weeks, has to be frustrating.
As such, Pittsburgh made some changes defensively ahead of the Patriots game. Jabrill Peppers played only on special teams against Seattle, but he started at safety against the Patriots. He had a big game, helping to force and recover a fumble early. That type of performance could earn him more playing time going forward, which might be bad news for Thornhill.
At this point, the safety room is somewhat crowded, and DeShon Elliott could come back this week. If he doesn’t he’ll surely be back in Week 6 after the bye.
With Chuck Clark also in the mix, Thornhill could be the odd man out at safety. He’s been targeted nine times and has allowed eight completions, giving up a passer rating of 117.6. He has 22 tackles but is missing them at a rate of 12 percent.
Amid the defense’s struggles, Juan Thornhill seeing less playing time is part of the staff trying to shake things up. With Peppers and Clark playing well in Elliott’s absence, it doesn’t help him much. Once Elliott is back, Thornhill could see a diminished role going forward.
