The Steelers opened a serious gap at security by buying and selling Minkah Fitzpatrick, and Mark Kaboly doesn’t imagine they’ve closed it. Though they’ve veteran starter Juan Thornhill on the roster, he wants convincing that’s their reply. The security place is skinny now on the whole, as a matter of truth, so why not take a gander round?
“I don’t assume Omar [Khan]’s performed but with security”, Kaboly mentioned of the Steelers’ plans on 93.7 The Fan. “You discuss not doing all your due diligence of attempting to enhance a protection and create competitors by simply handing a beginning job to Juan Thornhill, who had a below-average season final 12 months?”.
Apart from DeShon Elliott and Thornhill, the Steelers’ security group doesn’t a lot transfer the needle. Probably the most notable title is Miles Killebrew, however that’s virtually solely for particular groups. When he performs on protection, it’s usually because of accidents—usually quite a few accidents. After they misplaced two starters in 2023, they moved Patrick Peterson to security and promoted Eric Rowe from the follow squad reasonably than have him play.
Along with Killebrew, the Steelers even have rookie faculty free agent Sebastian Castro and Quindell Johnson at security. Whereas Castro is an attention-grabbing title, he doesn’t precisely have the vary of a free security. Johnson is a current addition, who performed 35 snaps in 2023 and none final 12 months.
“I imply, that must be on their thoughts”, Kaboly mentioned of the Steelers upgrading the protection place. “Possibly it’s not now; possibly it’s in August after they reduce some individuals or they’ll transfer some individuals round. However you would need to imagine that that’s one thing that they’re actually taking a look at proper now”.
Until the Steelers view Jalen Ramsey as a full-time security—a transfer he beforehand expressed curiosity in towards the top of his profession—they could be smart to take a peek at their choices. As Kaboly suggests, it might replicate an absence of due diligence in the event that they selected to not. With Johnson worryingly near a backup spot, why wouldn’t they wish to discover all choices?
There are nonetheless some notable names on the market at security for the Steelers to think about, like Justin Simmons, for instance. He’s a participant who, at the least theoretically, they may signal and have begin instantly. After they traded for Minkah Fitzpatrick, he began lower than every week later.
Kaboly is removed from alone in believing the Steelers want to have a look at their choices at security. Exterior of maybe broad receiver, it’s by far the most important gap on the roster for 2025. You don’t commerce a starter simply earlier than coaching camp with out changing him and assume that nothing will likely be amiss.
Until that’s, after all, that the Steelers imagine Jalen Ramsey will be their new beginning security. My guess is that they wish to see simply what number of hats the person can put on, however how usually will he do the protection dance?
