With Joey Porter Jr. in Dallas and the Steelers‘ secondary a consistent weak spot on the team, Mike McCarthy shared some positive news during his weekly press conference on Monday.
McCarthy told reporters that safety DeShon Elliott “is getting close” to returning, although when remains up in the air. Refusing to commit to a timeline, McCarthy appeared optimistic about getting Elliot back relatively soon.
Out with a severe hamstring tear and hyperextended knee, the Steelers placed Elliott on injured reserve at the start of the season, forcing him to at least miss the team’s first four games. But Elliott, 29, now eligible to be activated in Week 5, it sounds as if he still needs more time to recover.
The Steelers will have to continue to try to patch up a secondary that has Jalen Ramsey dealing with a broken wrist and Brandin Echols just getting out of concussion protocol.
Right on the heels of learning about Porter’s trade to the Cowboys, the Steelers’ let Deshaun Watson to complete 24-of-33 passes and throw for 268 yards as the Cleveland Browns beat Pittsburgh 27-24 on Thursday Night Football.
Overall, the Steelers’ defense ranks in the middle of the pack at 13th as a group in the NFL, having allowed 322.2 yards per game so far.
A sixth-round pick of the rival Baltimore Ravens in 2018, Elliott, a consensus All-American out of the University of Texas, has recorded 433 tackles, forced six fumbles and recovered five in 77 games and 69 starts across seven healthy seasons out of his eight years in the league. He made a career-high 108 combined tackle in his first season in Pittsburgh in 2024, but was only able to register 38 in five games last year.
The Steelers look to respond from their loss to the Browns when they host the Indianapolis Colts at 1:00 p.m. ET on Sunday, Oct. 11.
Steelers Provide Update on Timeline for DeShon Elliott’s Return