Though the first major wave of free agency has officially passed, with major, multi-year deals worth tens of millions of dollars having been handed out across the league, there are still good deals to be had for a team like the Pittsburgh Steelers, who want to target upgrades on the margins.
Case in point: the signing of Juan Thornhill away from the Cleveland Browns, with Pittsburgh adding the veteran safety to their already impressive defense for the 2025 season, as reported by NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport.
“The Steelers are signing FA S Juan Thornhill to a 1-year deal, per me and Mike Garafolo. An opportunity with one of the NFL’s best defenses to show he’s still a top safety,” Ian Rapoport wrote. “The former Browns standout lands in a division he knows well.
Initially drafted in the second round out of Virginia by the Kansas City Chiefs, Thornhill played his first four seasons in KC – winning the Super Bowl twice in his run – before signing a three-year, $21 million contract with the Browns. Thornhill appeared in 22 games with 22 starts, amassed 103 tackles, three QB hits, and four passes defensed but failed to pick off any passes for Kevin Stefanski’s defense, a stark contrast from his eight with the Chiefs.
Now heading across state lines from the Buckeye State to the Keystone State, Thornhill joins a Steelers defensive backfield that already has two starters penciled in as Minkah Fitzpatrick and DeShon Elliott but does have a hole at nickleback, where UDFA Beanie Bishop Jr. became the guy in 2024.
Could the Steelers view Thornhill as a potential nickelback, or is he more of a third safety off the bench, either in big nickel packages or as a third safety with another player going into the box or covering the slot? While only time will tell, at this point in free agency, Thornhill is, at worst, a quality depth signing who could play special teams and make plays if someone gets injured. With that being said, the Steelers likely pitched signing Thornhill for a reason, so who knows, maybe they have something planned for the safety that could make him a useful piece in 2025.
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