Steelers Activate S DeShon Elliott From IR

Elliott began his career on the other side of one’s of the Steelers’ biggest rivalries as a sixth-round pick out of Texas for the Ravens. Elliott didn’t get a chance to make a big impact for Baltimore until he was asked to take over as a full-time starter in Year 3, replacing veteran Earl Thomas after an ugly breakup. He made his name as a bigger hitter in that third season, finishing fourth on the team in tackles while recording two forced fumbles and 2.5 sacks.

Elliott remained the starter for his fourth season, but injuries held him to only six games as he dealt with a quadriceps issue early before getting placed on IR with biceps and pectoral injuries. It wasn’t the first time injuries had limited the former Longhorn. He missed his entire rookie season on IR with a fractured forearm and only appeared in six games in Year 2 after a knee injury landed him on IR.

As a free agent, Elliott rebounded nicely with a pair of one-year deals with the Lions and Dolphins. While he did miss five games over that time, the two one-year stints reestablished him as an effective starter. In 2024, the Steelers signed him to a two-year, $6MM deal, and he made an immediate impact. With 14 starts in 15 appearances, Elliott finished second on the team with 108 total tackles, adding two forced fumbles, three fumble recoveries, six passes defensed, and an interception.

After signing a two-year, $12.5MM extension, Elliott got off to a hot start in Year 2. In only five games his stat sheet had tallies in the interception, sack, forced fumble, and passes defensed columns before he hyperextended his knee and was placed on season-ending IR for the fourth time in his nine years of play. He opened this year on IR with a hamstring injury, but after missing the team’s first six games of the season, he’ll return to the field this weekend.

The Steelers precipitated this move by releasing another veteran safety, Rayshawn Jenkins, who the team signed shortly before the season for depth. Johnson and Smith will join Elliott on the active roster for the team’s game in Paris tomorrow, filling out the back end of the Steelers receiving corps which sees Michael Pittman Jr., Roman Wilson, and Cole Burgess on IR and Ben Skowronek ruled out.