The Pittsburgh Steelers are signing safety DeShon Elliott to a two-year, $6 million deal, according to Jordan Schultz of Bleacher Report. In place of the injured Jevon Holland, Elliott stepped into the role well, racking up 82 tackles in 15 starts for the club this past season.
While DeShon Elliott has just three career interceptions, he had seven career pass deflections in 2023. The former Baltimore Ravens draft pick has bounced around the league a bit recently, going from Baltimore to Detroit to Miami. Now, he lands in Pittsburgh to help replace Keanu Neal and what he did in the three safety packages on the defensive side of the football.
He played more at free safety than strong safety a year ago, logging over 500 snaps at free safety but over 200 snaps at strong safety. In addition, Elliott played 97 snaps in the slot. This should allow for some continuity to be built across the safety corps, as Elliott seems likely to be paired with Minkah Fitzpatrick on the back end of the defense and can allow Fitzpatrick to work at free safety as well as strong safety.
Elliott, 26, came out of Texas in the 2018 NFL Draft. He now joins Damontae Kazee, Fitzpatrick, Trenton Thompson, and the re-signed Miles Killebrew in the Steelers safety room. Given they run so many three-safety sets, what happens with Kazee and Elliott is something to watch closely.
But Elliott is a versatile player who has played all over the defense and seems likey to be the starter while Kazee comes in as a rotational player on the back end of the secondary.