Steelers Surprisingly Place DeShon Elliott on Injured Reserve

The Pittsburgh Steelers will be without one of their starting safeties to begin the regular season.

Aug 21, 2026; Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, USA; Pittsburgh Steelers safety DeShon Elliott (25) lines up against the New York Jets during the first half at Acrisure Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Barry Reeger-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

The Pittsburgh Steelers will be without a key piece of their defense to open the 2026 season.

Upon revealing their initial 53-man roster, the Steelers also announced that safety DeShon Elliott has been placed on the reserve/injured list with a designation to return.

As a result, Elliott will have to miss at least the first four contests of the campaign before being eligible to be activated off IR.

He only appeared in five games last year, first suffering an MCL sprain in Week 1 against the New York Jets that kept him out until Week 4.

From there, Elliott appeared in four-straight contests until both hyperextending his knee and tearing his hamstring off the bone during Pittsburgh's Week 8 matchup against the Green Bay Packers.

Elliott was limited to begin training camp, though he did appear in the Steelers' second game of the preseason against the New York Jets and posted four total tackles.

The 29-year-old, who signed a two-year extension worth $12.5 million last offseason, is now slated to miss a considerable amount of time once again, with his timeline for a return unclear at the moment.

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