The Pittsburgh Steelers lost undrafted rookie safety Sebastian Castro to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers about six weeks ago. The team wanted him back so badly that they have released veteran safety Juan Thornhill to make roster space.
NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport and Mike Garafolo reported Monday the Steelers released Thornhill. Fox Sports’ Greg Auman then reported the Steelers claimed Castro off waivers to fill the safety vacancy.
The Steelers made the two corresponding transactions official, announcing the moves on X minutes after the two reports.
Thornhill played a significant role in Pittsburgh’s defense during the first six weeks of the 2025 regular season. In the first five games, he averaged 53.8 defensive snaps per game, posting 32 combined tackles and one pass defense. Thornhill also played 45 snaps on special teams.
But the veteran started to see a decline in his playing time in Week 7. During Weeks 7 and 8, he averaged only 23.5 defensive snaps per game.
Over the past two weeks, Thornhill only played on special teams. He received zero snaps at safety despite starter DeShon Elliott landing on injured reserve before Week 9.
With Castro, the Steelers are bringing back one of their undrafted free agents from the 2025 class. He began the season on the team’s practice squad. The Buccaneers signed Castro off the practice squad on September 30.
Tampa Bay waived Castro on Saturday. Auman reported the Buccaneers were “expected to sign” the safety to their practice squad Monday. However, he needed to clear waivers for Tampa Bay to have that opportunity.
With the Steelers placing their claim, Castro didn’t clear waivers.
Steelers Moving on From Juan Thornhill
With Thornhill playing such a small role on defense, it’s not super shocking the veteran would prefer a fresh start elsewhere. But it’s still a little surprising the team made the move.
Cornerbacks Darius Slay and Joey Porter Jr. suffered injuries during Week 10. Porter returned to the game, but Slay sustained a concussion.
While that’s a different secondary position, cornerback Jalen Ramsey began starting at safety two weeks ago. If Slay has to miss anytime because of his concussion, the Steelers could have moved Ramsey back to cornerback and played Thornhill again at safety.
But that apparently wasn’t something the Steelers wanted to consider.
Thornhill is in his seventh NFL season. He played his first four years for the Kansas City Chiefs and then two years for the Cleveland Browns. Thornhill won two Super Bowls with the Chiefs.
Over seven seasons, he has started 75 NFL games. In Pittsburgh, Thornhill posted 38 combined tackles, one pass defense and one fumble recovery in nine games, which included one start.
Steelers Bringing Back Undrafted Rookie Sebastian Castro
Castro didn’t do enough to earn a roster spot in August, but the Steelers and fans had disappointed reactions when the organization lost him to Tampa Bay in September.
With the Buccaneers, Castro made his NFL debut against the San Francisco 49ers in Week 6. He posted one tackle while playing six special teams snaps.
The Steelers could get back veteran safety Jabrill Peppers in Week 11 against the Cincinnati Bengals. Peppers has missed the past two games with a quad injury.
But Castro will be on the team’s active roster for the first time during the regular season. That means, the undrafted rookie could make his Steelers debut Sunday.
During five seasons at Iowa, Castro registered 163 combined tackles, including 14 tackles for loss in 53 games. He also had 14 pass defenses and four interceptions.
Like Heavy Sports’s content? Be sure to follow us.
This article was originally published on Heavy Sports
The post Steelers Release Benched Safety to Bring Back Training Camp Darling appeared first on Heavy Sports.