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Heitritter: Juan Thornhill Is Pittsburgh's Biggest Free Agent Wildcard

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Heitritter: Juan Thornhill Is Pittsburgh's Biggest Free Agent Wildcard


The Pittsburgh Steelers signed S Juan Thornhill back in March to replace S Damontae Kazee, filling the vital third safety role behind Minkah Fitzpatrick and DeShon Elliott. Thornhill signed with the team on a one-year deal worth $3 million, representing a prove-it deal scenario for the veteran defensive back.

When you look back on Thornhill’s career to date, his signing makes him arguably the team’s biggest free agent wild card heading into the 2025 season. Thornhill comes to Pittsburgh after a two-year stint with the Cleveland Browns that was lackluster, at best. He played and started 11 games both in 2023 and 2024, missing time due to calf injuries that have been an issue dating back to his final season with the Kansas City Chiefs in 2022.

Thornhill signed a three-year deal worth $21 million with Cleveland ahead of the 2023 season, but only got to see two years of that contact as his play didn’t warrant the money for which he signed. Thornhill managed to rack up 104 total tackles (72 solo), one tackle for loss, four pass deflections and no interceptions in his two seasons with the Browns, failing to secure a turnover in either season while having his effort questioned at times. That included one play against the New Orleans Saints where he noticeably pulled up in pursuit of the ball carrier and allowed a touchdown.

However, when you look at Thornhill’s tenure in Kansas City, you see a safety who was more than deserving of the contract that he received from Cleveland. Thornhill started 52 of 65 games played during his time with the Chiefs in the regular season, posting 234 total tackles (161 solo) five tackles for loss, a sack, a forced fumble, a fumble recovery, 20 pass deflections and eight interceptions (one returned for a touchdown).

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He won two Super Bowls with Kansas City, providing an athletic defender on the back end of the defense who showed impressive pursuit to the football and the range to impact passes as a center field safety.

Head coach Mike Tomlin spoke highly of Thornhill after signing him, stating the need for three quality safeties on the field to better match up with multiple tight end sets and needing guys that can be scheme/position versatile. Thornhill fits the bill, having played 3,079 snaps at free safety, 802 in the box and 639 in the slot across 4,657 total NFL snaps. He moved around more during his time in Kansas City, but Cleveland primarily kept him at his natural free safety spot.

Tomlin also mentioned the signing of Thornhill as the reason why the Steelers didn’t select a safety in the 2025 NFL Draft, stating that they felt comfortable with what he brought to the table as their No. 3 safety behind Fitzpatrick and Elliott. Pittsburgh did sign Iowa safety Sebastian Castro as a UDFA at the conclusion of the draft. He also brings some versatility to the table, but Thornhill is clearly the favorite to see the most time behind the starters and be that third safety Pittsburgh deploys in their sub packages.

It’s a tale of two stories for Juan Thornhill. On one hand, he looked like a talented, young safety during his time with the Chiefs, having his play earn him a sizeable contract in free agency. On the other hand, injuries and suspect play during his time with the Browns led to an early termination of his contract, allowing Pittsburgh to sign him on the cheap this offseason.

Thornhill has plenty to prove this season with the Steelers, as he looks to show his last two years in Cleveland were a fluke and more hampered due to injuries. He looks to return to the productive player he was during his time in Kansas City. He’ll be a name to watch throughout training camp and the preseason as his play can either provide a huge boost to Pittsburgh’s secondary or keep it relatively the same to where it was a season ago.

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Blanche says DOJ

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Blanche says DOJ


Acting Attorney General Todd Blanche said on Tuesday that the Justice Department is not moving forward with its $1.8 billion “anti-weaponization” fund that has become a major obstacle to the GOP agenda in Congress.

“We are not moving forward with the fund. Period,” he told lawmakers on the House Appropriations Committee.



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Luke Bryan concert expected to bring thousands of fans to Pittsburgh-area farm

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Luke Bryan concert expected to bring thousands of fans to Pittsburgh-area farm


On Sept. 17, multi-platinum country music star Luke Bryan will bring his Farm Tour to 1846 Farms near Latrobe.

Westmoreland County is no stranger to large outdoor concerts. Some may remember the Rolling Rock Town Fair in the early 2000s, while others may recall Luke Bryan’s stop at a farm in South Huntingdon Township just two years ago. Now the country music superstar is returning to the area.

The Unity Township farm’s general manager, Aleisha Stas, gave KDKA a tour of the family farm, which dates back to before the Civil War. She says Bryan’s team first reached out after finding the farm on social media, but she says at first, she and her family thought it was too good to be true.

“This was around April Fools, so we thought it was an April Fools prank,” Stas said. “My whole family, we were like, there’s no way this is about to happen. But this has been incredible.”

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Stas says Bryan’s team is handling everything logistically from parking and bathrooms to deciding exactly where the concert will be staged.

“If we have it on this side of the property, we can hold 12,000 people,” Stas said. “And if we have it on (the other side) of the property, it can be up to 20,000. But we have not determined that yet.”

Many of those decisions will be made as September gets closer. In the meantime, however, the farm is holding off on planting in certain fields until the final concert location is selected.

And while hosting thousands of people may sound a little intimidating, Stas says her family is excited to welcome fans to the farm for what they hope will be a memorable night.

“Obviously, we’ve never had this many people here before, so it will be a new thing for all of us, but we are not worried,” said Stas. “Luke Bryan’s team are experts with this, and I think it will go great.”

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Tickets for this concert are currently on sale, and they will run you about $77 per person, plus tax for general admission.



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2025 Steelers Offseason Recall: Garrett shutdown as Pittsburgh bullied Browns in Week 6 | Steel City Underground

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2025 Steelers Offseason Recall: Garrett shutdown as Pittsburgh bullied Browns in Week 6 | Steel City Underground


Steel City Underground presents post-game takeaways in our Steelers Offseason Recall series, revisiting key moments from the 2025 season and how they shaped the year that followed.

AFC North football rarely looks pretty, and the Pittsburgh Steelers’ Week 6 matchup against the Cleveland Browns at Acrisure Stadium followed that familiar formula. What started as a defensive slugfest on a torn-up field eventually turned into another frustrating afternoon for Cleveland as Pittsburgh pulled away for a 23-9 victory.

The win improved the Steelers to 4-1 and extended their remarkable regular season home winning streak against the Browns to 22 games. More importantly, it reinforced an early-season identity centered around disruptive defense, efficient quarterback play, and winning the battle in the trenches.

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Looking back, these were the biggest surprises from Pittsburgh’s victory.

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Jalen Ramsey stole the show from Watt and Garrett

Nobody expected Jalen Ramsey to leave Week 6 with more sacks than T.J. Watt and Myles Garrett combined, but that’s exactly what happened.

Ramsey entered the game after missing practice time earlier in the week and proceeded to deliver one of the more unexpected stat lines of the season. The veteran defensive back recorded two sacks and six combined tackles while frequently helping confuse Cleveland’s protection schemes.

Meanwhile, Watt recorded half a sack while Garrett failed to register one entirely.

Ramsey even admitted afterward that the performance surprised him. His production highlighted an emerging trend within Pittsburgh’s defense: pressure was coming from everywhere.

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The Steelers defense overwhelmed Cleveland’s offense

While Ramsey grabbed headlines, the collective defensive effort suffocated Cleveland for most of the afternoon.

The Steelers finished with six sacks as Nick Herbig led the team with two sacks while Ramsey added two of his own. Derrick Harmon, Watt, and Alex Highsmith also got involved as Pittsburgh repeatedly collapsed the pocket around rookie quarterback Dillon Gabriel.

Gabriel never looked comfortable. The rookie completed 29 of 59 passes for 221 yards and struggled once Cleveland became one-dimensional after falling behind. He finished with a passer rating of 66.3 while absorbing constant punishment.

Pittsburgh didn’t rely solely on edge pressure either. Defensive backs blitzed, interior rushers collapsed protection, and disguised looks forced Cleveland into mistakes.

Perhaps equally impressive was how the Steelers handled Browns rookie running back Quinshon Judkins. Entering the matchup, Judkins had averaged 4.6 yards per carry and looked like one of Cleveland’s few consistent offensive weapons. Pittsburgh erased that advantage, holding him to a season-low 36 rushing yards on 12 carries while limiting him to 3.0 yards per attempt.

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Through five games played after their bye week, the Steelers had already amassed 20 sacks and were rapidly becoming one of football’s most disruptive defenses.

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Myles Garrett disappeared

The Browns needed a game-changing performance from Myles Garrett. Instead, Pittsburgh’s offensive line turned in one of its best performances of the season.

Garrett moved around the formation throughout the game, but he spent much of the afternoon lined up across from Broderick Jones. With occasional help early and more one-on-one opportunities later, Jones and company neutralized Cleveland’s biggest defensive weapon.

Garrett finished with only two combined tackles. He failed to record a solo tackle, sack, forced fumble, quarterback hit, or pass defended.

Keeping Garrett quiet fundamentally changed how Cleveland could attack Rodgers and allowed Pittsburgh’s offense to remain balanced throughout the afternoon.

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Rodgers stayed efficient and upright

Aaron Rodgers didn’t deliver a vintage statistical masterpiece: he simply controlled the game.

The veteran quarterback completed 21 of 30 passes for 235 yards while distributing the football efficiently and trusting Arthur Smith‘s offensive approach. Rodgers leaned heavily on his tight ends early before taking advantage of favorable matchups later in the game.

His biggest moments arrived in the second half. Rodgers connected with Connor Heyward for a touchdown strike before finding D.K. Metcalf for another score that helped create separation on the scoreboard.

Equally important, Rodgers stayed upright. For only the second time that season, Pittsburgh allowed zero sacks. Cleveland hit Rodgers only three times despite him attempting 30 passes.

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Compare that with Dillon Gabriel, who absorbed six sacks and 16 total quarterback hits.

The offensive line, aided by extra blocking looks featuring Spencer Anderson, kept Cleveland’s front from controlling the game and allowed Rodgers to operate comfortably. Metcalf benefited from the protection, turning four receptions into 95 yards while the Steelers spread touches across Jonnu Smith, Pat Freiermuth, Roman Wilson, Darnell Washington, and Heyward.

Meanwhile, Jaylen Warren, Kenneth Gainwell, and Kaleb Johnson combined for 89 rushing yards to maintain offensive balance. Pittsburgh averaged 5.8 yards per play and controlled possession despite both teams having the same number of drives.

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The officiating nearly stole the spotlight

Not everything about the victory came without frustration. Ron Torbert’s officiating crew inserted itself into the game repeatedly as Pittsburgh absorbed ten accepted penalties during an afternoon filled with questionable decisions.

Several pass interference rulings frustrated players and fans alike.

Jerry Jeudy appeared to drag Brandin Echols down by both shoulder pads on one play, yet the result went against Pittsburgh. Later, Browns cornerback Denzel Ward appeared to pin D.K. Metcalf’s arm without drawing a flag.

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Even Watt found himself repeatedly flagged for alignment penalties despite checking positioning with officials beforehand, leading to visible frustration from Mike Tomlin on the sideline.

The most controversial moment arrived on special teams. Ke’Shawn Williams appeared to spark the crowd with a 47-yard punt return before an illegal blindside block penalty on Jabrill Peppers erased the play. The penalty not only wiped away field position but also backed Pittsburgh up an additional ten yards.

Despite the officiating frustrations, the Steelers remained composed, and by the end of the afternoon, that discipline, paired with suffocating defense and efficient offense, delivered another divisional win and continued building momentum heading into a critical AFC North stretch.





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