Latest news with #JuanThornhill
New York Times
2 days ago
- Sport
- New York Times
Steelers camp: Juan Thornhill looks to prove Browns wrong, Broderick Jones injured
LATROBE, Pa. — Steelers safety Juan Thornhill was relaxing at home in Nashville, Tenn., about a month ago, taking care of his new baby and enjoying the final weeks of the offseason, when he got the jarring news: Pittsburgh had traded All-Pro safety Minkah Fitzpatrick to the Miami Dolphins. 'I thought it was a joke at first,' Thornhill said. Advertisement Initially, when the Steelers signed Thornhill, it appeared he'd be the third safety on the depth chart behind DeShon Elliott and Fitzpatrick. While the Steelers use three-safety 'big' nickel defenses regularly, Thornhill still would have been something of a role player, providing depth, experience and versatility. Not anymore. Essentially overnight, Thornhill was bumped up the depth chart to be the starting free safety in at least the nickel defense. Considering the Steelers are only in their base defense for about 20 percent of the snaps, that likely means Thornhill is now penciled in as the starter on 80 percent of the plays — or more. 'That's just me having to step up and play a little bit more,' Thornhill said. 'I think I'm very capable. I'm a great player. I can make a lot of plays.' Cleveland Browns fans might disagree. A second-round pick in the 2019 NFL Draft, Thornhill began his career as a meaningful contributor on two Kansas City Chiefs Super Bowl winners. During his first four years, he intercepted eight passes, racked up 234 tackles and started six playoff games. In 2023, he parlayed that production into a three-year, $21 million contract with the Browns. The way Thornhill tells it, numerous injuries — and the desire to play through pain — resulted in some rough moments. The worst? In Week 11 last season in New Orleans, Saints quarterback Derek Carr connected with receiver Marquez Valdes-Scantling. Browns fans saw Thornhill giving what they deemed to be less than 100 percent effort and nicknamed him 'Jog Thornhill.' Jog thornhill after being cut by the Steelers too🤣 — Dillion Gabriel over Social Media Sanders (@pfmrorl) May 6, 2025 'It did bother me,' Thornhill said. 'Because that's not me as a player. They saw that one clip of me, and they (thought of me) as a player that doesn't play hard for his team. But, yeah, it was one clip. I was exhausted.' The Browns cut the safety following his 2024 campaign. Now part of a Steelers defense full of Pro Bowlers, Thornhill is one of the players with the most to prove, making him a must-watch player in camp. Advertisement 'You can't read into what the media is saying about me,' Thornhill said. 'Because if you sit back and you watch the film of what I did in Cleveland, I had a lot of good plays. Some of the Cleveland people just tried to bash my name a little bit. If you sit there and really watch the film, I made a lot of plays and was very productive in that defense.' Through the first four days of camp, Thornhill has been running with the first-team defense consistently. In addition to playing almost all of the nickel snaps, he also took first-team reps in the base defense Saturday, when Darius Slay got a veteran day off and Jalen Ramsey shifted to outside corner. To this point, Thornhill has looked solid, showing good closing speed and instincts. During the Seven Shots drill to open practice on Sunday, DK Metcalf ran a corner route from the slot. Thornhill stayed in good position to break up the pass and let out a celebratory yell. While Thornhill has done his part to keep his starting job in the secondary, the safety position is becoming an area worth watching on a team with few true position battles. Even if Thornhill stays atop the depth chart, the Steelers will need to sort out who backs him up at free safety. To start camp, undrafted rookie Sebastian Castro was taking the second-team reps alongside strong safety Miles Killebrew. This week, the Steelers added another contender when they signed Chuck Clark. It remains to be seen if Clark is simply competition for Castro or if he could eventually push Thornhill for first-team reps in sub-packages. A seven-year veteran, Clark played his first six seasons in Baltimore, where he often played in the same secondary as Elliott. Clark endured an ACL injury in 2023 before joining the Jets last season. He started 12 games in 2024 and made 69 tackles. Going from a starter to fighting for a roster spot is a new experience. 'This is a first for me to come in this late, having to pick up the playbook,' Clark said. 'I know football, that's for sure. At the end of the day, it's just putting terminology to it in a different scheme, different concepts. But I know football.' Perhaps no player is facing more pressure to perform this season than 2023 first-round pick Broderick Jones. He came into camp about 20 pounds lighter than last season at 310 pounds, which should help him regain some of the mobility that's a staple of his game. However, on Sunday, he left practice with a lower-body soft-tissue injury that coach Mike Tomlin is classifying as day to day. After individual periods on Sunday, trainers wrapped Jones' groin/hamstring area. Time will tell if he's feeling healthy enough to compete on Tuesday, when the real hitting starts and we can really start evaluating the offensive line. Advertisement Given Jones' inconsistency throughout his first two seasons, the backup tackle job will be an important position on the roster. Dylan Cook stepped in for Jones, perhaps an indication that he's the front-runner to win the swing tackle job, at least for now. In other injury news from Sunday, undrafted fullback DJ Thomas-Jones sustained an apparent foot or ankle injury and left practice on a cart. Tomlin said it's a 'more significant' injury. Receiver Montana Lemonious-Craig is also day to day with soft tissue injury. Medical staff working on FB/ TE DJ Thomas-Jones' left foot/ ankle area. He's leaving practice on a cart. — Mike DeFabo (@MikeDeFabo) July 27, 2025 Tempers flared on Sunday when the Steelers practiced in helmets and shoulder pads. Backup center Ryan McCollum and inside linebacker Cole Holcomb got into a heated wrestling match. Both players eventually ended up with their helmets ripped off. Outside linebacker Nick Herbig was also involved in the scrum. There should be more of that next week when the Steelers start tackling ball carriers to the ground. We won't really know how the Steelers' new defensive linemen look until next week. But in the lower-contact settings, fifth-round pick Yahya Black has shown an ability to bat down passes at the line of scrimmage. During Sunday's practice alone, he deflected a pair of Mason Rudolph pass attempts. 'It's something that we really value culturally,' Tomlin said. 'Obviously, I think Cam (Heyward) probably led all the interior defensive linemen in the league last year. (Keeanu) Benton was also very high. We work at it. (Black) has an aptitude for it, and hopefully it continues.' For the second day in a row, the defense won the Seven Shots drills 4-3. Aaron Rodgers completed two of his four passes during the period. First, he found tight end Jonnu Smith on an out route to start the drill. Later, Rodgers connected with tight end Pat Freiermuth on an over-the-ball route. The two incompletions from Rodgers were the aforementioned pass breakup by Thornhill and a missed connection with Roman Wilson, with Elliott in good coverage.
Yahoo
22-07-2025
- Sport
- Yahoo
Steelers' replacement for Minkah Fitzpatrick predicted as biggest bust in 2025
Nov 21, 2021; Kansas City, Missouri, USA; Kansas City Chiefs safety Juan Thornhill (22) on field against the Dallas Cowboys during the game at GEHA Field at Arrowhead Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Denny Medley-USA TODAY Sports The post-Minkah Fitzpatrick era has received its first red flag — as Bleacher Report believes his potential replacement in the Steelers' secondary could be in for a rough 2025. Bleacher Report's Kristopher Knox recently predicted the 2025 biggest busts for all 32 NFL teams — and for the Pittsburgh Steelers, he chose FS Juan Thornhill — the next man up after Fitzpatrick was traded to the Miami Dolphins: Advertisement "The top candidate to take over Fitzpatrick's role will be free-agent addition Juan Thornhill. He's unlikely, however, to play up to Fitzpatrick's Pro Bowl level," Knox wrote. "The 29-year-old has struggled to stay healthy in recent years and has allowed an opposing passer rating above 100.0 in five straight seasons. Thornhill was drafted by the Chiefs with the 63rd overall pick in the 2019 NFL Draft, where he would spend the next four years of his career — earning two Super Bowls as Kansas City's starting safety. He signed with the Browns in 2023, but his tenure with Cleveland was a far cry from the success he found with the Chiefs. Over the past two seasons, Thornhill has missed 12 games due to injury — and even when healthy, he struggled in pass defense, leading to his eventual release this offseason. It's not all bad predictions for Thornhill, who signed with the Steelers in March, as one former DB turned analyst argued his leadership and championship-caliber pedigree will work wonders for Pittsburgh in 2025. Steelers fans will get their first glimpse at Thornhill's involvement in the retooled secondary when training camp action kicks off on July 24. Advertisement For up-to-date Steelers coverage, follow us on X @TheSteelersWire and give our Facebook page a like. This article originally appeared on Steelers Wire: Steelers' Minkah Fitzpatrick replacement named biggest bust candidate
USA Today
21-07-2025
- Sport
- USA Today
Browns' highest-paid players in 2025 still headlined by Deshaun Watson
The Cleveland Browns enter the 2025 season with just over $17.5 million in cap space. This came after clearing room on their books with the releases of highly-paid players like defensive tackle Dalvin Tomlinson and safety Juan Thornhill. They then spent modestly in free agency, with their biggest addition being defensive tackle Maliek Collins. Their offseason was highlighted by the mega-deal of star pass rusher and 2023 NFL Defensive Player of the Year Myles Garrett, who inked a contract netting him $40 million per year. Their highest-paid player, however, is an obvious one as the Browns continue to work through the grimy details of the remainder of quarterback Deshaun Watson's contract. This leaves their books in a bit of a pickle. Who are they paying money to, and who are their highest-paid players? Here are the Browns' highest-paid players entering the 2025 season: Browns highest-paid players in 2025
Yahoo
20-07-2025
- Sport
- Yahoo
5 position battles to watch at Steelers training camp
With just a few days until the Steelers report to training camp on July 23, fans have several positional battles across offense, defense, and special teams to look forward to. Here are the five biggest starting roles up for grabs in Latrobe this summer. Long snapper Although not the flashiest position in the NFL, Steelers starting LS Christian Kuntz will attempt to fend off journeyman LS Tucker Addington — who signed with Pittsburgh in June. Free safety While all signs point to FS Juan Thornhill as the go-to replacement for ex-Steelers safety Minkah Fitzpatrick, an undrafted rookie could push the two-time Super Bowl champion for the starting role — none other than standout Iowa Hawkeye DB Sebastian Castro. Fullback Hybrid player Connor Heyward may have hinted at a full-time switch to fullback this offseason — but he first needs to beat out undrafted rookie FB DJ Thomas-Jones, a sleeper to make the 53-man roster. Punter After Steelers starting punter Cameron Johnston suffered a season-ending knee injury last season, Corliss Waitman stepped up in a big way for Pittsburgh. Only one punter will remain in the Steel City — but whether it's the now-healthy Johnston or the talented Waitman who takes the role remains to be seen. Running back Jaylen Warren's time to shine as the Steelers' lead rusher could be in jeopardy — as Pittsburgh drafted one of 2024's best college running backs in Kaleb Johnson. Training camp will serve as the first of many battles to decide whether or not Warren can fend off the rookie third-rounder — and a strong outing in Latrobe could decide the fate of the starting running back position. For up-to-date Steelers coverage, follow us on X @TheSteelersWire and give our Facebook page a like. This article originally appeared on Steelers Wire: Steelers training camp: 5 starting spots up for grabs in Latrobe
USA Today
10-07-2025
- Sport
- USA Today
Ex-NFL DB says Steelers already found Minkah Fitzpatrick's replacement with veteran safety
Following the blockbuster Jalen Ramsey trade, everyone in the Steel City wants to know — who's going to replace Minkah Fitzpatrick? Former NFL DB turned analyst Will Blackmon apparently has all the answers — and it's the next man up in the Steelers' secondary, FS Juan Thornhill. On a recent episode of FS1's The Facility, Blackmon argued Thornhill's proven resume not only speaks for itself, but could help the Steelers where it matters most — the playoffs: 'I'm going to give you another name: Juan Thornhill, the safety that they got,' Blackmon said. 'He has 74 starts — two-time Super Bowl champion. So, you lose Minkah, but you got a leader back there who knows exactly what to do, who knows exactly what it takes to win championships. And so, I think wholeheartedly they got better. They got in a situation where they're gonna compete. I got them actually winning a playoff game this year and ending that drought.' Thornhill spent his first four years in the NFL with the Chiefs, winning two Super Bowls as the starting free safety. He ultimately signed with the Browns in 2023, but his time in Cleveland wasn't as successful — leading to his release this past February. He signed with the Steelers in March on a one-year, $3 million deal — and unless Pittsburgh signs another veteran free agent, he's set to play a major role in the secondary. For up-to-date Steelers coverage, follow us on X @TheSteelersWire and give our Facebook page a like.
