PITTSBURGH — Pittsburgh Steelers safety DeShon Elliott played 17 snaps in his season debut on Sunday against the New Orleans Saints. Elliott has been shelved since last October with a significant hamstring/knee injury that required surgery.
“It was great. I look at his journey, and I can’t tell you how much respect I have for him and the way he’s attacked this opportunity,” Steelers head coach Mike McCarthy said during his Monday press conference. “We had him on a play count because we wanted to ease him back into the flow of things, and he needed that chance to get back out there, too. I just expect him to continue to grow. But he definitely cleared that first hurdle. We just needed to get him back on the field.”
Steelers defensive coordinator Patrick Graham was also thrilled to see Elliott back.
“Happy to see him out there, great energy on the sideline,” Graham said. “My first time to be around him (when he’s playing), I know he played a little bit in the preseason. But it was fun to see him out there. The communication stood out. The disguise element. The physicality. It was fun to see him play.”
Getting Elliot back is huge for the Steelers, as Rayshawn Jenkins was a major liability during his time with the Steelers. The Steelers cut the veteran last week. Jenkins is now with the Baltimore Ravens.
In the six games Jenkins played for Pittsburgh, he recorded 16 tackles. According to Pro Football Focus, he was targeted five times, allowing five completions for 120 yards, one touchdown, and a perfect 158.3 passer rating.
Elliott opened up on his devastating injury in an interview on Cam Heyward’s Not Just Football podcast this offseason. Elliot told Heyward that he thought it was a Nick Chubb type of situation as soon as he went down with the injury. Chubb’s knee injury required two separate, extensive surgeries to repair his MCL, meniscus, ACL, and medial capsule.
“I thought my career was over,” Elliott said on Heyward’s Not Just Football podcast in April.
The veteran safety said it was just a freak accident.
“Basically a freak accident, a guy landed on my knee, hyperextending my knee,” Elliott said. “But the structure of my knee was 100%. I didn’t hurt anything in my knee. I actually tore my hamstring. The hamstring, behind my knee, tore off the bone. So, they had to reattach that.
“I’ve never had non-weight-bearing injuries. Those first two months were pretty hard, and then I finally hit a peak. And after that, it just has been a lot easier now. Now, it is just about getting my strength back and getting my pop back, which is coming along pretty smoothly. Honestly, I’ve been running really well, jumping, cutting, doing all the things I need to be doing.”
Elliott said it was a grueling recovery process.
“They had to reattach that back to my [fibula]. They had to drill a hole through my [fibula] and put a pin through it and reattach that. I was in a brace for six weeks,” Elliott said. “I had no weight-bearing for five. Those first two months were so hard. I’ve been hurt a couple of times in my career, and that was the worst pain when it came to getting my flexion back.”
Elliott, who turned 29 in April, is in his eighth NFL season and third with the Steelers. He signed a two-year, $12.5 million contract extension last offseason that will keep him in Pittsburgh through 2027.
Alan Saunders provided reporting from Pittsburgh.
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