Former Browns Safety Takes to TikTok to Announce His Move To Rival

On Monday, former Cleveland Browns’ safety Juan Thornhill signed with the Pittsburgh Steelers and took to TikTok to make his move official.

Dec 3, 2023; Inglewood, California, USA; Cleveland Browns safety Juan Thornhill (1) and safety Ronnie Hickman (33) celebrate against the Los Angeles Rams in the first half at SoFi Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-Imagn Images | Kirby Lee-Imagn Images

Juan Thornhill will go down as one of the most disappointing free agent signings in recent years. He came from Kansas City after his first four years in the league and brought a championship pedigree that the Cleveland Browns so desperately needed.

In his two seasons in Cleveland, he appeared in just 22 of the possible 35 games. He had zero interceptions, one tackle for loss, just four pass breakups and only 103 total tackles. 

His highlight moment came in a preseason game against his former team when he intercepted a pass and returned it for a touchdown inside GEHA Field at Arrowhead Stadium.

He now takes his talents to a hated rival, the Pittsburgh Steelers. He made the move official Monday via his TikTok page.

Juan Thornhill throws his #Browns hat and puts on a Steelers one in his latest TikTok: pic.twitter.com/TBntrtRuvF

— Grant Puskar (@grant_puskar_) March 17, 2025

The former Super Bowl champion signed a one-year contract with the Steelers after he was released by Cleveland. Thornhill joins a defense that is looking for answers against the pass after a down year in 2024. 

Pittsburgh was the 26th ranked defense against the pass while still being stout against the run. Thornhill joins a secondary that features veteran star Minkah Fitzpatrick, who leads the unit, and cornerbacks Joey Porter Jr. and brand new defensive back Darius Slay Jr.

This offseason, the Steelers are making an effort to improve their secondary with the two veteran signings that they made in Thornhill and Slay. This isn’t the final solution for the Steelers, but they are definitely making improvements. 

The absence of Thornhill will hardly be felt in the Cleveland secondary. His inability to stay healthy proved to be a constant issue during his tenure. When he was healthy, his performance never met the expectations.