Steelers sign safety Peppers after Elliott's injury

PITTSBURGH (AP) — The Pittsburgh Steelers emerged from their season opener against the New York Jets unbeaten but not unscathed.

Enter Jabrill Peppers.

Coach Mike Tomlin said Tuesday the Steelers are signing the veteran safety while starter DeShon Elliott recovers from a knee injury suffered in the first half against the Jets.

Peppers, 29, became a free agent when he was cut by New England last month. Pittsburgh will be Peppers' fourth NFL stop following stints with Cleveland (2017-18), the New York Giants (2019-21) and the Patriots (2022-24).

Tomlin pointed to Peppers' versatility in the secondary and his ability to be a difference-maker on special teams as major factors in the signing.

“He's a football player first, a positional player second,” Tomlin said.

Peppers could get an opportunity to play right away when the Steelers (1-0) host Seattle (0-1) in their home opener on Sunday.

Pittsburgh turned to veteran Chuck Clark — who was cut at the end of training camp before being signed to the practice squad — after Elliott left against the Jets, though Tomlin didn't rule out Peppers being available quickly.

“We’ll see how we divide the labor up as we get into the week,” Tomlin said. “Their ability to communicate and execute obviously will be a major component of how we divide that labor up and go from there.”

Tomlin declined to say whether Elliott is a candidate for injured reserve, saying only that Elliott will definitely miss at least one week.

Elliott, who signed a contract extension through 2027 in June, was serving as the hub of communication for an overhauled secondary that now includes newcomers Jalen Ramsey and Darius Slay.

Where those duties will fall going forward is uncertain, though Pittsburgh's defense did just enough down the stretch to avoid the upset against New York. While the Steelers gave up 394 yards (including 182 on the ground) to an offense led by former Pittsburgh quarterback Justin Fields, they also made a pair of critical late stops.

The Steelers forced a three-and-out on the Jets' penultimate possession and Ramsey ended any last-gasp effort by drilling New York wide receiver Garrett Wilson on fourth down near midfield, sealing the victory.

It also, however, came only after the Jets had their way on both sides of the line of scrimmage for long stretches. Fields and running back Breece Hall found plenty of room to run and Pittsburgh's young offensive line struggled to protect Aaron Rodgers.

The Steelers gave up four sacks total, with former first-round pick Broderick Jones struggling at left tackle. Jones, taken 14th overall in 2023, repeatedly had trouble with New York defensive end Will McDonald, who dropped Rodgers twice.

Tomlin declined to single out Jones specifically, saying “all of our performances could be better,” and defended the 24-year-old's mental toughness.

“It’s football, you know?” Tomlin said. “You don’t get to the National Football League by being fragile, emotionally. There's a lot of confident guys that I work with. You win some battles, you lose some battles. You come back fighting. That’s just the nature of the men that play this game at this level.”

Peppers would know. The 25th overall pick in the 2017 draft (taken five spots ahead of Steelers star outside linebacker TJ Watt) was traded to the New York Giants after two years in Cleveland, then moved on to the Patriots in 2022.

He turned a one-year contract with New England into a multiyear deal but spent the better part of two months of the 2024 season on the commissioner’s exempt list following his arrest on multiple charges stemming from a domestic incident. A jury acquitted Peppers in January, but his time with the Patriots ended in August when first-year head coach Mike Vrabel made Peppers among the team's final cuts.

Tomlin said he did plenty of studying up on Peppers in the lead-up to the 2017 draft, and took note of how Michigan deployed him, including having him get time on offense during his final season with the Wolverines.

While that is not in play in Pittsburgh, Peppers' ability to adapt has stuck with Tomlin through the years.

“He was just used in a real unique way in Michigan that really highlighted his talents, man,” Tomlin said. “I think he was even a two-way player at one point. ... He returned kicks. He was just a well-rounded football player in all areas of the game.”

NOTES: Rookie defensive tackle Derrick Harmon (knee) is expected to miss his second straight game on Sunday. ... Inside linebacker Malik Harrison (knee) is also out. ... Outside linebacker Nick Herbig (hamstring) could return after sitting out the opener.

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