When a Steelers defensive star suffered a season-ending injury last season, he worried his career was over. He had to be carted off the field and later underwent surgery. Thankfully, a recent positive update has put that fear to rest.

“Freak accident, hyper accident on the knee,” Steelers safety DeShon Elliott said on the Not Just Football podcast. “But the structure of my knee is 100 percent. I didn’t hurt anything in my knee. I actually tore my hamstring. Now, it is like going back to playing like myself and moving like myself, and it’s coming along. I will be ready to go, bro.”

The injury occurred in Week 8 of the last season on October 26, 2025, when the Steelers played the Green Bay Packers. During the third-down play of the second half, just three minutes into that half, the Packers’ tight end, Tucker Kraft, collided with the safety.

During that clash, Kraft fell on the right leg of DeShon. On the spot, it looked like his right knee bent uncomfortably, leading many to speculate a possible ACL tear. Following the incident, the Steelers star couldn’t walk or put his weight on the right leg and thus had to be carried to the sideline, signaling a season-ending injury.

While the former coach, Mike Tomlin, initially called it a hyperextended knee, further medical examination confirmed that his ACL was intact, and it was actually a hamstring injury. DeShon is rehabilitating and should return for the start of next season.

The 28-year-old also revealed in the interview that he feared the injury would be like Cleveland Browns running back Nick Chubb’s multi-ligament knee injury in 2023, which required two surgeries and sidelined him for over a year.

Meanwhile, Mike McCarthy, a Pennsylvania native with extensive coaching experience, takes over as the new coach after Tomlin stepped down last season. And DeShon is looking forward to his 2026 season.

DeShon Elliott is excited to work with Mike McCarthy

“We’re gonna rock with Mike and see what we can do,” DeShon said in the same podcast. “I’m always opening. I’m always open to things. If you’re about winning, I’m about winning. We can see we can see eye to eye. As long as we are trying to win, that’s all that matters to me.”

Considering it’s not a career-threatening injury, he should return to his peak form next year after spending two seasons at Pittsburgh, where he played 20 games and recorded 146 total tackles and 1 sack. His current contract of $12.5 million keeps him with the Steelers until the 2027 season. Therefore, if McCarthy delivers, the safety may remain his reliable defensive option for the next two seasons.

Before the Steelers, the 28-year-old played for the Baltimore Ravens, Detroit Lions, and Miami Dolphins. After working with multiple head coaches throughout his professional career, settling into the new Steelers coach’s system shouldn’t be a difficult transition for him.