Steelers Now
PITTSBURGH — For the first time, Pittsburgh Steelers safety DeShon Elliott opened up on his devastating season-ending knee injury that he suffered last season. Elliot told Cam Heyward that he thought it was a Nick Chubb type of situation as soon as he went down with the injury. Chubb’s knee injury required two separate, extensive surgeries to repair his MCL, meniscus, ACL, and medial capsule.
“I thought my career was over,” Elliott said on Heyward’s Not Just Football podcast in April.
Elliott severely hyperextended his knee during a Week 8 primetime loss to the Green Bay Packers. The veteran safety said it was just a freak accident.
“Basically a freak accident, a guy landed on my knee, hyperextending my knee,” Elliott said. “But the structure of my knee was 100%. I didn’t hurt anything in my knee. I actually tore my hamstring. The hamstring, behind my knee, tore off the bone. So, they had to reattach that.
“I’ve never had non-weight-bearing injuries. Those first two months were pretty hard, and then I finally hit a peak. And after that, it just has been a lot easier now. Now, it is just about getting my strength back and getting my pop back, which is coming along pretty smoothly. Honestly, I’ve been running really well, jumping, cutting, doing all the things I need to be doing.”
Elliott revealed that it’s been a grueling recovery process.
“They had to reattach that back to my [fibula]. They had to drill a hole through my [fibula] and put a pen through it and reattach that. I was in a brace for six weeks,” Elliott said. “I had no weight baring for five. Those first two months were so hard. I’ve been hurt a couple of times in my career, and that was the worst pain when it came to getting my flexion back.”
Elliott posted a video of him working out in early March. He told Heyward that he’s “almost there” in regard to making a full recovery.
Elliott, who turns 29 on April 21, is entering his eighth NFL season and third with the Steelers. He signed a two-year, $12.5 million contract extension last offseason that will keep him in Pittsburgh through 2027. He’s played in 19 games in black and gold, starting all of them.
25 • DeShon Elliott, Safety Texas
6-foot, 210 pounds, 29 years old, 9th pro season
Acquired: The Steelers signed Elliott to a two-year, $6 million deal in free agency on March 14, 2024.
Last Year: Elliott severely hyperextended his knee during a Week 8 primetime loss to the Green Bay Packers. The injury sidelined Elliott for the rest of the season.
Pro career: The Baltimore Ravens drafted Elliott with the 190th overall pick of the 2018 NFL Draft. Elliott missed his entire rookie season due to an injury. In 2019, Elliott’s season was cut short again as he played in just six games before spending the rest of the year on the injured reserve.
Elliott entered the 2020...
