Here’s an interesting factoid about the Steelers situation at safety: Pittsburgh began the 2025 season without any home-grown safeties on its active roster.
Sure, the Steelers have had several successful safeties that started their careers elsewhere, think Ryan Clark, this is an anomaly for a franchise that boasts Hall of Famer safeties like Donnie Shell and Troy Polamalu.
With that in mind, might it be time for the Steelers to re-stock at safety in the 2026 NFL Draft?
This is the latest article in our Steelers 2026 Draft series.
Jalen Ramsey and DeShone Elliott at St. Vincents. Photo Credit: Charles LeClaire-Imagn Images, via SI.com.
The Steelers Safety Depth Chart Entering the 2026 NFL Draft – The Starters
Question: If the Steelers gave out offensive and defensive MVP awards who should have shared the honors with Kenneth Gainwell last year? For my money the answer is starting safety Jalen Ramsey.
- Problem? Ramsey started the season at cornerback.
The Steelers started the summer trading for Jalen Ramsey and from that point on, as long as air conditioners kept running in Western Pennsylvania, Mike Tomlin kept talking about his “coverage guys.” As Chris Halicke from DK on Pittsburgh Sports shares, Tomlin didn’t just do this with reporters, but he did with everyone it inside the building.
But there was a little problem.
One of his best “coverage guys” got hurt. And a couple of others couldn’t cover. The Steelers made trades, cut guys, but things the ship only began to right itself when he moved Jalen Ramsey from corner to safety.
Working at free safety, Ramsey didn’t prove to be a ball hawk like Polamalu or Minkah Fitzpatrick circa 2019-2022, but he did force opposing offensive coordinators to account for him. And he proved he could lay in the wood on someone, including unsuspecting quarterbacks.
Jalen Ramsey sacks Tua Tagovailoa. Photo Credit: Alysia Rubin, Steelers.come
The Steelers signed DeShon Elliott in the spring of 2024 and during the entire fall the question was, “What was it that Baltimore, Detroit and Miami didn’t like about him?” The Steelers gave Elliott a second contract, but unfortunately, he go hurt in the season opener against the Jets.
Elliott returned in week 4 with a sack, interception and 2 quarterback hits in the win over the Vikings in Dublin, and the defense continued to be notably different the following week against Cleveland. The shorthand for the next two weeks is that the Bengals and Packers torched the Steelers defense.
What people forget is that Pittsburgh was actually beating the Green Bay before Elliott got injured and was lost for the season. He’s expected to make a full recovery and if he does do that, he’ll be an asset as a starter.
The Steelers Safety Depth Chart Entering the 2026 NFL Draft – The Backups
To add depth behind Ramsey and Elliott the Steelers signed Pittsburgh native Jaquan Brisker. Jaquan Brisker was a 4-year starter for the Chicago Bears and has been compared stylistically to Elliott. Brisker made his presence known in the Bears win over the Steelers last season, including batting away Mason Rudolph’s final pass intended for D.K. Metcalf.
Sebastian Castro makes a tackle in preseason. Photo Credit: Barry Reeger, IMGAN Images via Dearoldgold.com
The Steelers also have Sebastian Castro, one of their 2025 undrafted rookie free agents, who opened the season on the practice squad got signed by Tampa Bay, only to get cut and return to the Steelers in time for their week 11 win over the Bengals where he would appear on special teams throughout the season.
Jack Henderson, who played in college for Minnesota, is also a safety under contract. Henderson signed as an undrafted rookie free agent with the Carolina Panthers, spent time with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, and alternated between stints on the Steelers and Dolphins practice squads in 2025. The Dolphins cut him lose in January, and the Steelers signed him to a futures contract.
Steelers 2026 Draft Needs at Safety
The Steelers have two NFL veterans at safety, one converted 32 year-old cornerback, an undrafted rookie free agent and a practice squad bubble baby. And one of those veteran safeties is coming off of a leg injury that, at one point, was feared to be career-threatening.
The oft-discussed signing of Darnell Savage has yet to materialize.
Even without taking into consideration Jalen Ramsey’s age, Sebastian Castro’s inexperience, or DeShon Elliott’s injury, the Steelers still must add depth at safety in the draft.
So while they don’t need to find a starter, they clearly must find someone capable of playing real snaps this fall – making safety an Extreme need for the Steelers in the 2026 NFL Draft.
