This offseason has been a busy one for the Pittsburgh Steelers, full of big additions that the team hopes can make an impact in 2025. Some bigger names have been added to the roster, but one of the more under-the-radar moves Pittsburgh made was to bring in safety Juan Thornhill for extra depth in the secondary. He hasn’t found his name in headlines much since arriving in Pittsburgh. However, on Friday’s episode of Kaboly + Mack, Mark Kaboly named him as a player who stood out during OTAs and minicamp the past few weeks.
“[Juan] Thornhill is probably one of the unheralded stars of OTAs and minicamp,” Kaboly said. “He’s better than, who was it, [Damontae] Kazee last year.”
Coincidentally, Thornhill and Kazee switched roles this offseason. Thornhill obviously signed in Pittsburgh and Kazee ended up joining the Cleveland Browns this offseason, the team Thornhill played for during the past two seasons.
Kaboly mentions Thornhill as an upgrade over Kazee, but it may be a little soon to jump that far. At the end of the day, neither were that impressive in 2024. In terms of pass coverage, Kazee has a leg up with one interception, two passes defended and allowed a passer rating of 112.8 when targeted. Thornhill had no interceptions, three passes defended and allowed a less than stellar 141.7 passer rating when targeted. In terms of run defense, Kazee was arguably better as well. Thornhill’s 49 tackles are certainly more than Kazee’s 31. However, Thornhill had a 9.3 percent missed tackle rate, while Kazee’s was just 3.1 percent.
With that said, Juan Thornhill’s 2024 season was arguably the worst of his career. It also came with a Browns team that had a lot of problems aside from just him. Looking at his career as a whole, he’s been a solid player for most of it. The Steelers are hoping he can get back into that level of play in 2025.
He won’t be a starter, as the Steelers have Minkah Fitzpatrick and DeShon Elliot ahead of him. However, he should serve as a nice depth option. He’s a versatile player, as he would describe himself, and can bring a lot to the defense as their third safety.
Overall, it’s hard to project the role he’ll have with the Steelers this year. Before his stint in Cleveland, Juan Thornhill had a nice start to his career with the Kansas City Chiefs. His time in Cleveland wasn’t impressive, but sometimes players just need a change of scenery. Thornhill seems to have plenty of motivation to build off his time with the Browns. It sounds like he’s already making an impact in practice, which is a great sign. If he can get back to his prior form, it will be a big help for the Steelers defense.
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