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PITTSBURGH – The Pittsburgh Steelers waited several months for safety Darnell Savage to officially sign his free agent deal. After initially agreeing to terms shortly after the new league year began, ink didn’t hit paper until just before minicamp.
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With so much time in between the deal first being reported and it becoming official, many wondered and speculated why the Steelers would wait so long for a veteran safety who battled injury issues in recent seasons.
Well, one training camp session quickly displayed why Savage was worth the wait for the Black and Gold. The safety position was one of the biggest question marks entering camp, but after a dominating first day on the field, Savage is quickly bringing optimism to a previously vulnerable piece of the secondary.
Savage’s Big Day in Latrobe
It wasn’t the biggest test for the players out on the field at St. Vincent College, but Darnell Savage was noticeable from start to finish on day one of training camp. The team is opting not to tackle while at camp, a new rule under first-year head coach Mike McCarthy, which could very easily put the defense at a disadvantage.
Savage seemingly took that as a challenge to look excellent in every other regard, and he accomplished just that.
He jogged out with the first-team defense, taking the place of still-recovering DeShon Elliott, and assumed a shutdown role in the secondary. He contributed an impressive pass breakup during team drills, knocking down an attempted Aaron Rodgers pass.
What really stood out about Savage was his speed. The former first-round pick entered camp with injury concerns, but he shredded those doubts over the one hour and 45 minutes he was on the field. He looked like the fastest player on the field at times, zooming in and out of his cuts and moving with impressive agility. It was a great start to the preseason for the newest safety in Pittsburgh.
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What This Means for Steelers
The performance from Savage was huge for the defense. Depth at safety is a huge concern for the defense, and Savage’s signing didn’t move the needle initially.
But if this is the type of player they are getting as the third safety in the rotation, this secondary is already vastly improved over the group that ended 2025. Not only are they improved, but they have a player who can step in to a temporary starting role when injuries occur.
How quickly things change at training camp. All it took was one practice to transform Darnell Savage from an afterthought on defense to one of the most important pieces.
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This article was originally published on www.si.com/nfl/steelers/onsi as Steelers New Safety Instantly Crushes All Doubt.
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This story was originally published July 30, 2026 at 6:00 AM.