How serious is DeShon Elliott’s knee injury?
While the Steelers scraped by with a win in their season opener, an injury to S DeShon Elliott puts a damper on things. As of this writing, we have no clear idea of the nature of the injury. One hopes that no news is good news, but even if he avoided major injury, he could still miss time.
The Steelers did play the majority of the Jets game without Elliott, who exited midway through the second quarter. Chuck Clark filled in, while Juan Thornhill and Jalen Ramsey assumed the rest of the necessary safety snaps. But with Joey Porter Jr. nursing a hamstring injury, it’s unclear what the team wiill do if both miss time.
The Steelers traded for Jalen Ramsey to make plays. Though he can make plays at safety, one imagines they want him at cornerback. Perhaps they would leave Ramsey outside if Porter missed time, with Brandin Echols in the slot. In Elliott’s absence, Thornhill and Clark would have to handle safety.
DeShon Elliott has a lengthy injury history, missing a couple seasons’ worth of games since being drafted in 2018. In his first season with the Steelers a year ago, he missed two games but had a career year. He played so well, in fact, that they signed him to a two-year extension. And then they traded Minkah Fitzpatrick, making him their top safety.
I saw no updates about Elliott overnight. Ordinarily, that might be a good sign, but with the Steelers traveling, that probably doesn’t make much of a difference. We may hear something today, and almost certainly will if it’s serious, but we may have to wait until Tuesday.
As we saw yesterday, the defense still has a lot to work on. DeShon Elliott was a key communicator for the unit last year, and they still had plenty of issues. His absence wouldn’t help that aspect any, but you have to work with what you have. Before his injury, he already had six tackles, including two run stops. Considering how the run defense performed—well, you get the idea.
After another disappointing season and months of retooling, the Steelers are set to try it all again in 2025. Though they limped into the playoffs, they once again embarrassed themselves therein.
Just like last year, the biggest question hanging over the Steelers is the quarterback question. They settled in on Aaron Rodgers, but we still have a lot to learn about him. The 2025 NFL Draft class could play a big role, but veteran additions like Jalen Ramsey will be paramount.
Now we are in the regular season. From Rodgers to George Pickens to Minkah Fitzpatrick and Ramsey, we’ve seen the Steelers make some big changes. Now it’s about evaluating the roster in place and figuring out how it all works out.
