The Pittsburgh Steelers closed out the month of June with a shocker on Monday by pulling off a blockbuster trade with the Miami Dolphins. Although the Steelers acquired two solid players in the deal — Jalen Ramsey and Jonnu Smith — they now have a gaping hole at safety after giving up Minkah Fitzpatrick.
Fitzpatrick had been with the Steelers since 2019 and over the past six seasons, he had started a total of 88 games for Pittsburgh. With Fitzpatrick now in Miami, the Steelers could look to replace him with Juan Thornhill, who’s already on the roster. The veteran safety signed with the Steelers in March just days after being released by the Cleveland Browns. Although Thornhill has six NFL seasons of experience under his belt, he struggled some with the Browns and he’d be a definite downgrade from Fitzpatrick.
Another option could be simply asking Ramsey to play safety. It’s not his normal position, but the team might consider the idea of asking him to take some snaps there, according to Steelers beat writer Mark Kaboly.
If the Steelers aren’t comfortable with making Thornhill the starter and they don’t want to move Ramsey, they could look at add a free agent. With that in mind, let’s take a look at three names still available on the market.
It’s not every day that you have a two-time Pro Bowl safety available at this point in free agency, but that’s exactly the case with Simmons. The Steelers going after Simmons almost makes too much sense. Although he’s 31 years old, it’s pretty clear head coach Mike Tomlin isn’t worried about anyone’s age. The Steelers have already added Darius Slay (34) and Jalen Ramsey (30) this offseason, so the idea of adding Simmons isn’t a crazy notion. The Steelers are clearly all-in on 2025, and Simmons would certainly be an upgrade from what Pittsburgh has now.
Although Simmons has lost a step since his prime years in Denver, he’s still a talented safety who could immediately upgrade the Steelers defense. He also has nine years of NFL experience. That kind of experience can help when you’re in a division with quarterbacks like Joe Burrow and Lamar Jackson.
Simmons spent the first eight years of his career in Denver before moving on to the Atlanta Falcons for the 2024 season. During his lone season in Atlanta, Simmons picked off two passes in 16 starts. He’s only three years removed from a 2022 season where he tied for the NFL lead in interceptions with six (ironically enough, he was tied with Fitzpatrick).
The two-time Pro Bowler wants to sign with a contender, and the Steelers definitely fall into that category.
For the first time in his career, Blackmon is looking for a new team. The Colts drafted Blackmon in 2020, and he spent five seasons with the team, but Indy decided not to re-sign him this year. Blackmon is a versatile safety who would likely work well with Tomlin.
The one upside with Blackmon is that he seemed to be improving every year. During the 2024 season, he tied for the team lead in interceptions with three and finished fifth on the team in total tackles. That came after a 2023 season during which he actually led the team in interceptions with four. Blackmon is solid against the run and has shown the ability to be a ball hawk, which is why he would likely fit in well with the Steelers.
At 27, Blackmon is the youngest option on this list. If he fits in well, he could carve a future for himself in Pittsburgh.
The Steelers have been collecting former Ravens players over the past few seasons, so it wouldn’t be surprising if they decided to give Williams a look. During the 2024 offseason, the Steelers went out and signed Patrick Queen in free agency, and the former Ravens linebacker ended up starting all 17 games for Pittsburgh last year.
The Steelers added another former Ravens player in Malik Harrison, who spent the first five years of his career in Baltimore, before signing a two-year deal with Pittsburgh back in March.
Williams played with both Queen and Harrison in Baltimore, so he’d be immediately familiar with several of his teammates in Pittsburgh. Williams did get benched during the 2024 season and was a healthy scratch for Baltimore’s final five games, so the Ravens clearly weren’t thrilled with his play. He also has a long history of injuries, so that could scare the Steelers away, but after getting released in March, he’ll certainly be motivated to prove he still has what it takes to play in the NFL. If he went to Pittsburgh, Williams would likely appreciate the chance to get to play against the Ravens twice in 2025.
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Author: John Breech
June 30, 2025 | 2:56 pm
