Pittsburgh Steelers safety Juan Thornhill is on his way out after the team’s Week 10 loss to the Los Angeles Chargers in primetime.
Per NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport, the Steelers have cut Thornhill, giving him a fresh start in the process.
The #Steelers have released veteran S Juan Thornhill, per me and @MikeGarafolo, and he now heads to waivers for a fresh start. If he clears, he’ll be a free agent. pic.twitter.com/4bvnC5pO3h
— Ian Rapoport (@RapSheet) November 10, 2025
A day after Pittsburgh’s 25-10 defeat, Thornhill took to Instagram and shared a post on his story that read, “It’s been real Pittsburgh,” which was the first indication that the team had cut ties with him amidst some recent changes at safety.
Juan Thornhill on Instagram / @juanthornhill
The Steelers entered the regular season knowing that their depth at safety next to DeShon Elliott was lacking to some extent.
The team signed Thornhill to a one-year deal in free agency back in March as a third option behind Elliott and Minkah Fitzpatrick, the latter of whom was traded to the Miami Dolphins for Jalen Ramsey and Jonnu Smith in late June.
As a result, Thornhill became the de-facto starter alongside Elliott throughout training camp. The 2019 second-round pick was eventually joined by Chuck Clark and Jabrill Peppers as other veterans who were challenging for snaps early in the season, though, which lessened his role.
Thornhill still ended up playing quite a bit over the first handful of weeks, with his highest total snap count coming in at 84 vs. the Cleveland Browns in Week 6 according to Pro Football Focus, but he did not receive a single defensive rep over the Steelers’ past two contests against the Indianapolis Colts and Chargers.
As a result, he’ll now be looking for a new team.
Nov 2, 2025; Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, USA; Pittsburgh Steelers cornerback Jalen Ramsey (5) enters the field before the game against the Indianapolis Colts at Acrisure Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Charles LeClaire-Imagn Images / Charles LeClaire-Imagn Images
With Thornhill out of the picture at this point, it appears Pittsburgh will move forward with Jalen Ramsey as its free safety after he’s logged a combined 102 snaps at the position during the past two weeks, per PFF.
Kyle Dugger, whom the Steelers acquired via trade from the New England Patriots leading into their Week 9 matchup with the Colts, should also remain a key piece of the team’s defense after playing 73 defensive snaps vs. the Chargers in Week 10.
In terms of depth options, Clark could fill in on defense while also seeing the field on special teams after returning against the Chargers from an illness that kept him out of the Colts game.
Peppers seems more likely to hold down a role on defense as opposed to special teams once he returns from a quadricep injury that’s sidelined him over the past two weeks, though, as he logged 1 3 snaps on that side of the ball in Week 8.
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