This is the year of change for the Pittsburgh Steelers. They have consistently been making trades or signing some players to confirm for themselves a trip to the Super Bowl. With the recent swapping of safety Minkah Fitzpatrick for Jonnu Smith and Jalen Ramsey, the Steelers have put all their hopes for this season on a new signing from March: Safety Juan Thornhill. Juan comes to the Steel City after being released by the Browns earlier this year.

The safety position at the Steelers for Thornhill, however, comes with a lot of pressure. With the departure of Minkah will not be easy for him to handle despite the fact that he has DeShon Elliott by his side. It also does not help that Juan was never really welcomed at the Steelers. Even during the announcement of his signing with the Steelers, rather than being excited or happy, fans were confused and skeptical. Not only did it rekindle the Browns-Steelers rivalry, but it also got the fans riled up, who ended up trolling him as well.

The negative reaction to this welcome meant that there would be doubts, and people would just be waiting to see if he lives up to their expectations or fails. And it seems that Juan is well aware of the doubters. He has even sent a message to all those who think that he’s not good enough. “Been doubted my whole life. NOTHING NEW,” he wrote on his Instagram story, targeting those who don’t believe in him. “F**k em keep going 22,” he added. In a way, Juan was motivating himself by referring to his jersey number.

Juan is keen on proving everyone wrong and wants to be the best. The question still arises whether he is the best pick for the Steelers. Even though he made a good start to his career with the Chiefs and even posted 71 tackles in his last season with them, he still got released as a free agent. Even his time at the Browns was nothing other than ordinary, posting just 54 and 49 tackles in each of his seasons, respectively. The fact that Thornhill was also released by both of his previous teams also raises the question of whether he can be relied on. While there still is Elliot who can assist Juan, it won’t be an easy task for Thornhill to replace the traded Minkah.

As the Steelers take advantage of the Dolphins in the latest swap deal, fans and players alike are discussing its impact. However, one of the aspects we often miss is that of a teammate. And as the Steelers give up on Minkah, a Steelers defensive player has a few words on the trade.

Cam Heyward shocked by Mike Tomlin’s decision

The world of football was shocked when the Steelers and the Dolphins made a blockbuster trade on Monday. While the Steelers had the upper hand and received Jonnu Smith and Jalen Ramsey, they gave up on safety Minkah Fitzpatrick. This move has not sat well with the Dolphin fans. However, there’s a Steelers player who isn’t too impressed by Tomlin’s trade decision to let go of the safety.

Reacting to the trade decision on the latest episode of his YouTube channel, “Not Just Football with Cam Heyward,” Cam confessed that he was shocked by their decision to trade away Fitzpatrick this late in the offseason. “You think that’s gonna be really cool to see those DBs just fly around, and then I got the gut‑check of losing a really good teammate in Minkah Fitzpatrick,” he said. “I don’t know how I feel about it. It’s bittersweet. I’ve enjoyed playing with him, and I was kind of just shook by it all. I’m excited about the new teammates, but I’m also sad to be losing a guy that I really respect in our locker room,” he added while talking about the emotional impact of it all.

Meanwhile, Cam Heyward recollected the time when Mike Tomlin had made one such surprise decision and brought in Minkah. “It’s different. shocking, ’cause when we first traded for Minkah years back, I was pretty shocked by that. We don’t really trade first-round picks. And then to bring in a guy like that of that stature, we were all very excited,” he said. But as Minkah leaves the team as a player who was respected and revered in the dressing room, there is, without a doubt, sadness.