Jags sign S Juan Thornhill to practice squad

In short order, a deal has been lined up in this case. Thornhill signed with the Jaguars on Monday, per a team announcement. To little surprise, this is a practice squad arrangement. It will be interesting to see how quickly Thornhill sees game time with his new team.

The seventh-year veteran severed as a full-time starter through much of his career prior to 2025. Thornhill was a first-team regular in Kansas City while playing out his rookie contract and again in Cleveland for two seasons after doing so. In Pittsburgh, however, things did not go as planned. The 30-year-old logged a defensive snap share of 49%, the lowest of his career.

The Steelers lost DeShon Elliott to a knee injury, something which brought about shuffling at the safety position. Pittsburgh swung a trade for Kyle Dugger shortly before moving on from Thornhill. Dugger and Jalen Ramsey have since operated as a safety tandem for the AFC North leaders.

The Jaguars secured a blowout win on Sunday, improving their record to 6-4. Thornhill will look to carve out a role on a team which moved on from another veteran defensive back in Darnell Savage in September. Andrew Wingard and Eric Murray have operated as safety starters in 2025 for Jacksonville, and that setup is likely to continue. Thornhill will look to serve as a backup capable of chipping in on special teams.

Jacksonville entered Monday with $8.75MM in cap space. This Thornhill signing will no doubt check in well short of the $7MM AAV he secured with his second contract and the $3MM he signed for with the Steelers this offseason. Nevertheless, he could prove to be a valuable low-cost addition down the stretch.