Steelers Still Have a Weak Link on Roster

PITTSBURGH — The Pittsburgh Steelers waited over two months for the arrival of safety Darnell Savage. The veteran safety reportedly agreed to a deal when the new league year kicked off, but for one reason or another, the deal wasn’t official until Organized Team Activities (OTAs) were already underway.

The move seemingly solidified the Steelers’ safety group heading into the 2026 season. DeShon Elliott returns from injury to headline the position, joined by newcomers Savage and Jaquan Brisker and a few exciting young players.

With Savage on board, the Steelers goal of a revitalized secondary has been achieved, right? Well, that might not be the case just yet for Pittsburgh.

The Risks at Safety

There is one huge risk hanging over the heads of this group, and that’s injury. I know, it’s taboo to discuss the potential and invites the fates to intervene, but the topic cannot be avoided.

Injury concerns are a real one with the Steelers’ safeties. Obviously, Savage presents his own risk. He’s battled upper and lower-body injuries over his career, and he hasn’t played more than 13 games in a season since 2022 with the Green Bay Packers.

It’s not just Savage, however. Elliott, the team’s star defender, is still recovering from a lower-body injury that ended his 2025 campaign. He’s participated in individual drills during minicamp, but it’s still not clear if he will be 100% by the ttime Week 1 rolls around.

That leaves Brisker, who missed 12 games during the 2024 season due to a major concussion, and a trio of inexperienced youngsters.

That’s a major risk.

Dec 1, 2024; Cincinnati, Ohio, USA; Pittsburgh Steelers safety DeShon Elliott (25) runs off the field after the victory over the Cincinnati Bengals at Paycor Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Katie Stratman-Imagn Images | Katie Stratman-Imagn Images

What Should Steelers Do?

The Steelers have two options. The first is to continue the experiment that the organization began in 2025, and push Jalen Ramsey into a full-time safety role. It came with some hits and misses, as it was the first time during his NFL career that he played a majority of his snaps there. But what stood out was how he found success at times, hinting that he could make the transition complete in 2026.

The second option is to be aggressive and pursue the trade market. Finding another capable starter among the free agents remaining is a tall task. Truth be told, they already secured two of the best available ones in Brisker and Savage.

If they want to bring in a true starter, they have to be bold. They would need to take inspiration from the Los Angeles Rams and think big. They should call up another NFL franchise and complete a blockbuster. It might take some draft picks or a young player to get this done, but it's what a Super Bowl contender would do as they go all-in for the 2026 season.

Maybe that’s too tall a task for the Steelers this season. But what’s certain is that the organization hasn’t quite solved their safety depth issue ahead of the 2026 campaign.

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