The Pittsburgh Steelers parted ways with a longtime NFL starter following Sunday night’s loss to the Los Angeles Chargers.
Pittsburgh released safety Juan Thornhill on Monday after claiming fellow safety Sebastian Castro off waivers. Thornhill’s Steelers tenure ends after just nine games.
The Steelers signed Thornhill this offseason to bolster their secondary after he started 11 games in each of the last two seasons with the Cleveland Browns. Thornhill previously won two Super Bowls with the Kansas City Chiefs, where he collected eight interceptions and 20 pass defenses in four seasons.
The former second-round pick started the 2025 season playing a prominent role in Pittsburgh’s defense. Thornhill registered nine tackles and a fumble recovery in a Week 1 over the New York Jets and played all 65 of the defense’s snaps the following game.
His reps diminished in recent weeks and evaporated entirely after the Steelers acquired Kyle Dugger from the New England Patriots. Thornhill played his only 12 snaps on special teams in the last two games.
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The Steelers will move on from Thornhill and reunite with Castro, whom they signed as an undrafted free agent in April. The Iowa product joined the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in late September after not breaking Pittsburgh’s 53-man roster out of training camp.
In his only NFL action, Castro tallied a tackle on special teams in Tampa Bay’s Week 6 win over the San Francisco 49ers. The Buccaneers waived the 25-year-old when activating offensive tackle Luke Goedeke from the injured reserve on Saturday.
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Featured image via Barry Reeger-Imagn Images