The Pittsburgh Steelers have officially parted ways with safety Juan Thornhill, the team announced on Monday. Thornhill had been signed to a one-year contract during the offseason but found himself removed from the safety rotation as the season progressed.
In a recent game against the Green Bay Packers, the Steelers opted for Chuck Clark as the backup free safety instead of Thornhill, who struggled significantly. Following that game, Thornhill”s role diminished to mainly special teams snaps. With this latest development, the Steelers have decided to move on from him.
Throughout the current season, Thornhill participated in nine games, making one start and recording 38 tackles. His career prior to joining the Steelers was spent largely with the Kansas City Chiefs and the Cleveland Browns. After being released by the Browns earlier in the offseason, the Steelers took the opportunity to sign him.
During his time with the Browns, Thornhill primarily played as a single-high safety, a position he was expected to fill within Pittsburgh”s three-safety packages. This setup would have allowed star safety Minkah Fitzpatrick to have more freedom to maneuver within the defense. However, Thornhill”s performance fell short, as he only managed four pass deflections and did not record any interceptions during his two seasons with the Browns. In contrast, during his four years with the Chiefs, he achieved a more impressive total of eight interceptions and 20 pass deflections.
The Steelers are now looking to adjust their defensive strategy following Thornhill”s departure, as they seek to bolster their secondary for the remainder of the season.
