DeShon Elliott

Elliott joined Pittsburgh on a two-year, $6 million deal prior to the 2024 season, but he far out-performed the value of his contract last year alone. Despite battling a hamstring injury late in the year, Elliott set a career-high in tackles while also improving his playmaking with two forced fumbles and three fumbles recovered. Some parts of Elliott's profile are unsustainable, highlighted by a 1.7 percent missed tackle rate (per PFF), the lowest mark by nearly 2.3 percentage points of any other player at the position. Expecting a full repeat of his per game stats in 2025 is likely unrealistic, but Elliott will likely be paired with Juan Thornhill in the back end of the Pittsburgh defense in a near every-down role as a solid contributor in both run defense and coverage. Read Past Outlooks