The Cleveland Browns let safety Juan Thornhill walk in NFL free agency. Thornhill has since signed with the rival Pittsburgh Steelers, which should make for a fun storyline when these two teams match up twice next season. The Browns feature several former Steelers on their squad as well in Kenny Pickett, Diontae Johnson and Damontae Kazee. Thornhill took his exit personally, especially after the Browns signed Rayshawn Jenkins to replace him on Monday.
Thornhill, a two-time Super Bowl champion with the Kansas City Chiefs, was far from a gamebreaker during his time in Cleveland. While with the Browns, Thornhill started 22 games at the safety position and didn't record a single interception. With the Steelers, he should serve as a depth piece behind Minkah Fitzpatrick and DeShon Elliott.
To replace Thornhill, the Browns will lean on Ronnie Hickman, Kazee and the newly-signed Jenkins, who has 10 career interceptions and recorded two sacks last season with the Seattle Seahawks. Jenkins is a solid one-for-one replacement for Thornhill, who struggled at times during his final campaign in Cleveland. No one has told him that, though, which is why Thornhill was...displeased with the Browns decision.
"Can’t wait!!! This s*** is Personal," Thornhill tweeted on Monday.
Why is Juan Thornhill mad at the Browns?
Thornhill was likely tweeting about Kazee specifically, but if he wasn't upset already, he certainly is now that Cleveland has signed two players with a similar skill-set. Some of the criticism Thornhill received from Browns fans last season was warranted. He showed minimal effort in chasing down a long touchdown given up against the New Orleans Saints, which fans immediately noticed. While he would eventually apologize for that lackluster effort, it was a case of too little, too late in Cleveland.
It won't help Thornhill's case that he signed with the worst possible team in the Steelers. Had he wished to stay in the good graces of Browns fans, he shouldn't have agreed to help their greatest rival. That's a non-starter, much like it would be for Steelers players who eventually sign with the Browns or Ravens.
At the end of the day, what NFL players choose to use as motivation is up to them. However, this feels like a stretch for Thornhill, who isn't the same player he once was and never lived up to the billing in Cleveland. The Browns had every right to start anew, and signing replacements is necessary for a secondary that needed a revamp.