Darnell Savage Signed by Pittsburgh Steelers for Safety Depth
· Yahoo Sports
The Pittsburgh Steelers added secondary depth by agreeing to a one-year, $1.5-million contract with safety Darnell Savage late Monday night.
Visit forestarrow.rest for more information.
Savage is on the move again as the Steelers will become his fourth team in two seasons. He played for three teams last year: the Jacksonville Jaguars, Washington Commanders, and Buffalo Bills.
Savage played in 12 games last year and started once, in Week 18, after the Bills had already clinched playoff seeding. He had 18 tackles, three passes defended, and one forced fumble.
Four Pittsburgh safeties from last season are now free agents: Kyle Dugger, Chuck Clark, Jabrill Peppers, and Miles Killebrew. Savage, a safety, is projected to serve as the primary backup behind starting safeties DeShon Elliott and Jalen Ramsey next season.
Drafted in 2019 by Green Bay, Savage started 69 games over five seasons with the Packers.
The Jaguars signed Savage to a three-year, $21.75-million before the 2024 season, but released him last year. The Commanders also signed and released him before he finished the season with the Bills.
Savage has 10 interceptions, three forced fumbles, and one sack in his seven-year career. However, eight of the picks came during his first three seasons.
The signing of Savage continues the Steelers' active start to free agency.
The biggest move came Monday when they acquired wide receiver Michael Pittman from the Indianapolis Colts in a trade and signed him to a three-year, $59-million deal. Pittsburgh gave up picks in the sixth and seventh rounds of this year’s draft.
Also on Monday, the Steelers agreed to terms with four free agents: cornerback Jamel Dean (three years, $36.75 million), running back Rico Dowdle (two years, $12.25 million), inside linebacker Cole Holcomb (two years, $5 million), and cornerback Asante Samuel Jr. (one year, $4 million).
Pittsburgh signed punter Cameron Johnston and defensive lineman Esezi Otomewo to one-year deals on Tuesday.
The Steelers went 10-8 last season and won their first AFC North title since 2020. After their Wild Card playoff loss to the Houston Texans, Mike Tomlin resigned as coach on Jan. 13 and was replaced two weeks later by Mike McCarthy.
Steeler Roundtable also offers a fan community and message board. We’d love to have you join us to talk all things Steelers. Click the “Join” button at the top of the page to join our community for free.