Could Jaquan Brisker, playing for his hometown team, have an outsized impact for the Steelers relative to his contract? Count former Steelers ILB Vince Williams among his fans and believers. Talking ball for hours on Steelers Nation Radio, he shared his thoughts on Pittsburgh’s new safety.
“I love hometown guys. They always play harder when they’re playing in front of their hometown. He loves the Pittsburgh Steelers”. Williams added of Brisker, “He grew up a Steelers fans. He loves this team, he loves this city, the city loves him back. I think he’s gonna be fantastic. He has the right disposition. He plays angry. He’s a slender dude, but he plays much bigger than he looks, and I think he’s gonna be amazing”.
But Brisker isn’t the only addition in the secondary who has Williams fired up about the back end. He’s also a big fan of Jamel Dean, the veteran cornerback, and what he can add to the unit. While he is longer in the tooth, he still has fight left in him.
“Dean is humungous. We have two Avatar cornerbacks in Little Peezy and Dean”, Williams said. “And Dean is a cornerback with No. 35 and a bald head. You know he’s about business. You see a dude that he has a bald head and he’s wearing No. 35 at corner? Oh, man. He’s all about business”.
“He’s a straight killer. I love him”.
The Steelers had high hopes for their secondary last year, which never came to fruition. Some factors out of their control, like DeShon Elliott’s injury, didn’t help matters. It’s clear, however, they overestimated their talent level at the time. This offseason, the moves to bring in Jaquan Brisker and Jamel Deans are aimed at correcting that.
Brisker is a fifth-year safety out of Pitt, a former second-round pick of the Chicago Bears. Overcoming some injury issues earlier in his career, he played a full season in 2025. To date, he has 342 tackles, 12 for loss, with 7 sacks, 4 interceptions, 4 forced fumbles, and 21 passes defensed in 52 games played.
Likely due to durability concerns, however, Brisker faced a softer market this offseason. He ultimately signed with the Steelers on just a one-year contract, earning $5 million. It’s nothing to sneeze at, but does not represent fair market value for your average quality starting safety.
Juan Thornhill operated as a rotational starting safety at the beginning of the year. Eventually, after Elliott’s injury, they wound up moving Jalen Ramsey to safety full-time and trading for Kyle Dugger. As long as Elliott stays healthy this year, Jaquan Brisker should make for a fitting, potentially long-term, complement.
Of course, that hinges upon how this season goes. It’s easy to theorize that Brisker should have his best season playing for his hometown team, but availability is a big part of that, and it’s been a part of his background. He certainly has the talent, but there’s a reason he only found a one-year contract this offseason.
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