Steelers Now
Juan Thornhill declared earlier this week that he believes the Pittsburgh Steelers’ defense can be one of the best of all time. On Saturday night, the veteran safety laid some groundwork for it to be one of the most punishing the league will see this season.
Playing beside hard-hitting defensive backs Jalen Ramsey and DeShon Elliott, Thornhill wants to contribute to a smashmouth attitude. Jaguars second-year receiver Brian Thomas Jr. learned that the hard way.
Playing in single-high coverage early in the initial quarter, Thornhill waited as Thomas ran a post on 1st-and-10 from his own 49-yard line. When Trevor Lawrence let loose, Thornhill made a beeline, dipped his shoulder and stuck the unsuspecting wideout, separating him from the football.
“My whole goal was to set the season off the right way,” Thornhill said. “Because I possibly could’ve maybe broke up the ball or picked it off, but I just want to set a tone for this defense to be one of the most physical defenses in the NFL. I think that hit definitely helped with that.”
Thornhill was penciled in as the Steelers’ starting free safety on the team’s first depth chart of the season, replacing the traded Minkah Fitzpatrick. Thornhill had prepared to make a big collision all week.
“What I did was just backpedal and when I saw the quarterback look, I just drove down on it and made a good hit,” he said.
Juan Thornhill lays the BOOM!!!
🤯🤯🤯🤯🤯🤯#NFL #Steelers
pic.twitter.com/RuA5aNitAA— The Standard (@TheStandard412) August 9, 2025
Thornhill began his career as the Kansas City Chiefs’ second-round pick in the 2019 NFL Draft. He started 52 games for Andy Reid’s squad over four seasons before spending two campaigns with the Cleveland Browns. The Steelers signed him to a one-year deal in March and are hoping to see what made him a solid contributor at his first stop.
“I’m just playing football,” Thornhill said. “If the opportunity presents itself to pick it off, I go pick it off. If I feel like it’d probably be better for me to make that hit, I’ll make the hit. That’s just something that has came for me playing in the NFL. … I’ve seen a lot of football, regular season all the way to the Super Bowl.”
This article originally appeared on Steelers Now: Steelers Defense Has a Tone-Setter in Juan Thornhill
