The Pittsburgh Steelers are exploring their options to help fill the void left by DeShon Elliott’s injury.
Steelers head coach Mike Tomlin announced on Tuesday that the team is working out safeties Von Bell and Eddie Jackson.
Elliott sustained a knee injury in Week 8 that Tomlin diagnosed as a hyper-extended knee. That is actually good news, though, as Elliott’s injury was initially feared to be one that would end his 2025 season.
Pittsburgh certainly isn’t out of the woods yet. ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler reported that, while Elliott’s ACL is intact, there is still a fear he may not be back this season.
“The Steelers are bracing for safety DeShon Elliott to miss the rest of the season, per sources. His ACL is intact and he’s working through the nature of the leg injury, so Pittsburgh will hold out hope, but a return is not considered likely at this point,” Fowler reported.
Neither Bell nor Jackson have played a single snap in the NFL this season, so that tells you everything you need to know about how the league views them. As such, expectations should be tempered for both.
Jackson is a two-time Pro Bowler, but those selections came all the way back in 2018 and 2019. Jackson was never able to recreate that kind of success and it remains to be seen what he has left in the tank at 31 years old.
He spent the 2024 season with the Baltimore Ravens (nine games) and Los Angeles Chargers (two games). He posted Pro Football Focus grades of 51.0 in coverage and 69.4 in run defense, which ranked 134th and 62nd, respectively, among safeties.
A year younger than Jackson, Bell spent the 2024 campaign with the Cincinnati Bengals and started in 11 of 17 games. According to PFF, Bell tallied a 59.4 run defense grade and a 61.2 coverage grade, ranking 136th and 71st.
Safe to say, neither Bell nor Jackson will be able to fill Elliott’s shoes, but the team doesn’t necessarily need them to do that with Juan Thornhill, Chuck Clark and Jabill Peppers all healthy.
Instead, the Steelers need bodies and Bell and Jackson can at least provide those.
