Steelers sign secondary help in wake of Steven Nelson trade request

The Pittsburgh Steelers sign Miles Killebrew to help out with their impending secondary woes.

Entering this offseason, the Pittsburgh Steelers accomplished two goals. They managed to significantly decrease quarterback Ben Roethlisberger’s cap hit and they re-signed top wide receiver JuJu Smith-Schuster to a one-year deal. While there is good news on the offensive side of the ball, the same thing can not be said for the defense.

The Steelers did re-sign cornerback Cam Sutton, but the secondary lost Mike Hilton in free agency to the rival Cincinnati Bengals and Steven Nelson has been granted permission to seek a trade by the team. With Nelson likely out in Pittsburgh, that means the team chose Joe Haden over him. On Sunday, the Steelers brought in some reinforcements.

According to NFL Media’s Ian Rapoport, the Steelers are signing former Detroit Lions defensive back Miles Killebrew to a one-year contract.

Steelers: Former Detroit Lions defensive back Miles Killebrew heading to Pittsburgh

Why would the Steelers choose to sign Killebrew, you ask? Well, Steelers secondary coach Teryl Austin was Killebrew’s defensive coordinator for two seasons in Detroit (2016-17). As a fourth-round pick out of Southern Utah in 2016, Killebrew started off on defense before transitioning into a primary fixture on special teams after Austin’s departure following the 2017 season.

In his five years with the Lions, Killebrew recorded 105 total tackles, six defended passes, two interceptions and one defensive touchdown. According to Pro Football Reference, Killebrew has logged 1,630 snaps on special teams, as opposed to 590 on defense.

It will be interesting to see if Killebrew will see an increased role in Pittsburgh with Austin as his position coach. The Steelers always had to make difficult choices this season based off their cap situation, but they must feel confident that Killebrew can fill in if Nelson is traded or released by the team.