Report: Pittsburgh Steelers release S Juan Thornhill
The Pittsburgh Steelers have released veteran safety Juan Thornhill, according to NFL Network insiders Ian Rapoport and Mike Garafolo. He will head to waivers and will become a free agent if he clears.
Thornhill was released one day after the Steelers lost to the Los Angeles Chargers 25-10. On Monday, the 30-year-old went to his Instagram Story and wrote, “It’s been real Pittsburgh,” indicating that the Steelers have released him.
Juan Thornhill played in nine games with one start in Pittsburgh and recorded 38 tackles, one pass defended, and one fumble recovery. He signed with the Steelers this season after spending the last two years with the Cleveland Browns.
In June, Thornhill spoke to reporters about what he would bring to the Steelers. “I feel like I’m very versatile, he said, per Pittsburgh’s DSEN (via Matthew Marczi of Steelers Depot). “I can cover receivers, I can cover tight ends, I can blitz, I can play in the box. I can literally do everything that they need me to do. Whatever they ask me to do is what I plan on doing.”
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Juan Thornhill won two Super Bowls with the Chiefs
Shortly after Thornhill signed with the Steelers, head coach Mike Tomlin said he was looking forward to having the veteran safety make plays for them. “We’re very familiar with Juan and his talents because we’ve competed against him, and so that’s going to be a fun endeavor to figure out how to divide the labor up, and that certainly will change from time to time,” Tomlin said, per Aaron Becker of SteelersNow. “We expect those guys to be interchangeable pieces and really provide a challenge for the offenses that we compete against.”
Thornhill began his NFL career in 2019 when the Kansas City Chiefs selected him in the second round of the draft. The former Virginia Cavaliers star was selected to the All-Rookie Team in 2019 and helped the Chiefs win two Super Bowls in four seasons.
After the 2022 season, Thornhill signed a three-year contract with the Browns. After spending two seasons with the Browns, Thornhill was released in February.