The Pittsburgh Steelers dealt with issues in their secondary in 2025. Injuries at safety forced Jalen Ramsey to spend more than half the season there. The Steelers also brought in a number of safeties midseason to deal with the rash of injuries. CB Darius Slay didn’t work out, forcing James Pierre and Asante Samuel Jr. into action.
So, the Steelers invested heavily in their secondary to start free agency. They signed CB Jamel Dean to a three-year deal. They also added two safeties, Darnell Savage and Jaquan Brisker, one one-year deals. How does that affect the Steelers’ draft strategy?
“I think that probably takes corner out of the mix early in this draft,” Steelers insider Ray Fittipaldo said Tuesday on the North Shore Drive podcast. “I think they can maybe take a slot corner like on Day 2, early Day 3, but I think taking an outside corner is now probably out of the question. Safety kind of pops up to me. You signed a couple of safeties, but they’re only on one-year deals, and I think that tells me that they are gonna be in the market for a starting safety at some point early in this 2026 draft, maybe in the first round at 21. But I think certainly in the second or maybe early in the third round, I think they’ll target a safety who can be their long-term starter.”
The Steelers hope that Jamel Dean and Joey Porter Jr. can form a starting cornerback tandem for this year and beyond. Otherwise, they wouldn’t have signed Dean to a three-year deal. Dean is apparently excited to be playing alongside Porter, so that’s a good sign. As Fittipaldo says, the Steelers will probably avoid taking an outside corner early. They also re-signed Samuel and still have Brandin Echols on the depth chart.
Pittsburgh still has a need at safety, despite bringing in two of them via free agency. Brisker profiles more as a strong safety who is more effective playing downhill and in the box. Savage offers versatility but lower-level play across the board. The Steelers still need a high-level free safety who can limit big plays down the field.
That’s why Fittipaldo thinks safety could be in play early in the draft, even with the 21st overall pick. One such player is Dillon Thieneman. Fittipaldo is a big fan of the Oregon safety, highlighting his speed (4.35 40-yard dash at the Combine) and his instincts. However, he doesn’t have the jaw-dropping interception numbers that you’d hope for with only eight over 39 games in three years. He also had 14 passes defended, which is a plus.
So, will the Steelers opt to bolster the wide receiver position in the first round? Or could they take a shot on a playmaking safety?
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