Steelers All 90: DB Antoine Brooks Jr.
All 90 is a Pittsburgh Steelers Now series profiling each of the 90 members of the Steelers 2021 offseason roster.
25 • Antoine Brooks Jr., second-year defensive back
5-foot-11, 210 pounds
Acquired: Drafted by the Steelers with the 198th pick in the sixth round of the 2020 NFL Draft.
Last season: Brooks was waived on Sept. 5 and signed to the Steelers’ practice squad. He was elevated to the active roster in Weeks 8, 9, 10 and 12 before being permanently added to the active roster on Dec. 3.
He played in Weeks 8, 9, 12 and 16, amassing a total of 29 defensive snaps and 10 on special teams. He recorded two tackles, both against Baltimore on Dec. 2.
Brooks was the team’s fifth safety behind starters Terrell Edmunds and Minkah Fitzpatrick and backups Sean Davis and Jordan Dangerfield.
College: Brooks was a three-year starter at Maryland, spending two years as a Nickel back before moving to safety in 2019.
Was a two-time All-Big Ten honoree and led the conference with 5.8 solo tackles per game a senior.
Camp outlook: With Davis and Dangerfield gone, Brooks has shot up the depth chart. He’s now likely one of the top backups at safety, though he has competition for that role in the form of rookie Tre Norwood and free agent Miles Killebrew.
Brooks has also worked in the slot as part of the group that is attempting to replace slot corners Mike Hilton, who moved on in free agency, and Cam Sutton, who moved outside.
Brooks will almost certainly be part of the 53-man roster, but how much of a role he’s able to earn is totally up for grabs, with his inexperience on special teams giving others an advantage for gameday work.
Future: Brooks will be an exclusive-rights free agent after the 2021 season.
The rest of the 90:
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