Continuing to make noteworthy changes at the safety position, the Steelers have cut Juan Thornhill, according to Ian Rapoport and Mike Garafolo of NFL.com. Thornhill will go through waivers. If no team claims him, he’ll become a free agent.
The Steelers have shaken things up at safety since starter DeShon Elliott suffered a serious knee injury in Week 8. Elliott is now on IR.
Shortly after losing Elliott, the Steelers acquired Kyle Dugger from the Patriots on Oct. 28. Dugger has since stepped into a starting role next to longtime cornerback Jalen Ramsey, who transitioned to free safety during a Week 9 win over the Colts.
With Dugger and Ramsey taking over at safety, Thornhill worked exclusively on special teams against Indianapolis and in Pittsburgh’s loss to the Chargers on Sunday. The 30-year-old started in one of nine games, logged a 48.5% snap share on defense, and totaled 38 tackles this season before the Steelers moved on from him.
After coming off the board in the second round of the 2019 draft, Thornhill divided his first six NFL seasons between Kansas City and Cleveland. He served as a full-time starter on two of the Chiefs’ Super Bowl-winning teams before spending two years with the Browns.
The Browns released Thornhill last offseason, leading him to the Steelers on a one-year, $3MM deal. Although his union with the Steelers didn’t work out, Thornhill – who has 75 career starts and eight interceptions – could be attractive to safety-needy clubs down the stretch. If a team claims him, it would take on the remainder of his league-minimum base salary.
With Thornhill on his way out, the Steelers claimed safety Sebastian Castro off waivers from the Buccaneers on Monday, Brooke Pryor of ESPN.com relays. Castro signed with the Steelers as an undrafted rookie from Iowa in late April, but the Buccaneers plucked him off their practice squad on Sept. 30. He appeared in one game with the Bucs and totaled six snaps (all on special teams). Castro will join Chuck Clark and Jabrill Peppers among the Steelers’ depth options at safety.