Jaquan Brisker's Arrival injects versatility into the Pittsburgh Steelers' secondary.
The Pittsburgh Steelers entered free agency needing safeties and now have added two.
The Steelers signed Jaquan Brisker to a one-year, $5.5-million contract Thursday. This followed Darnell Savage's one-year, $1.5-million deal two days earlier.
Pittsburgh had four safeties from last season’s AFC North championship team become free agents this week: Chuck Clark, Kyle Dugger, Miles Killebrew, and Jabrill Peppers.
Killebrew, a special teams standout, signed a one-year contract with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers on Thursday. The other three remain unsigned, but the Steelers appear to have moved on after adding Brisker and Savage.
Pittsburgh will likely start next season with DeShon Elliott at strong safety and Jalen Ramsey at free safety, though Ramsey and Brisker provide options.
Ramsey, a three-time All-Pro cornerback, switched to safety early last season when injuries struck the Steelers’ secondary. Next season, Ramsey could move to nickel corner to replace Brandin Echols, with Brisker becoming the strong safety.
Brisker had started for the Bears since being drafted in the 2022 second round from Penn State. He has played 52 games, recording seven sacks, four interceptions, and four forced fumbles.
Last season, Brisker played in all 17 games as the Bears won the NFC North title. He had 93 tackles, 52 solo stops, one tackle for loss, eight passes defended, and one interception. It also marked the first season in Brisker’s career that he did not miss at least two games because of injury.
Brisker earned a 64.1 grade from Pro Football Focus, ranking 45th among 91 NFL safeties who qualified.
Joining the Steelers is a homecoming for Brisker, who starred at Gateway High in Monroeville, Pa.
Brisker spent one year at Lackawanna College before transferring to Penn State. From 2019-21, he recorded 153 tackles (86 solo), 10 tackles for loss, five interceptions, and 14 passes defended over 34 games for the Nittany Lions.
The addition of Brisker caps a busy week for Pittsburgh: it traded for wide receiver Michael Pittman, signed cornerback Jamel Dean, running back Rico Dowdle, punter Cameron Johnston, and Savage, and re-signed defensive lineman Ezesi Ottomewo, inside linebacker Cole Holcomb, and cornerback Asante Samuel Jr.
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