"If You Get Hurt, I Don't Care": Steelers' DeShon Elliott Holds Absolutely Nothing Back

Even though Mike McCarthy has started his tenure as the head coach of the Pittsburgh Steelers, the defensive side of the ball will remain the heart and soul of the team. The front office has paid the unit handsomely, so the expectation is that Patrick Graham can get the group to be more consistent and dominant. One of the nastiest players on the depth chart is safety DeShon Elliott. He is still working his way back from a gruesome injury that he suffered in 2025, and it will be essential for him to be fully healthy for Week 1. He is an extremely underrated player for the organization and in the NFL as a whole.

The Steelers have been known to be an opportunistic defense in recent years. Turnovers have been plentiful and sometimes game-changing, but overall consistency has lacked which is something that needs to be fixed. Elliott is one of the pieces to the puzzle because he isn't just physical. He is a shifty safety and does just about everything. He helps set the tone week-in and week-out when he is healthy.

Graham is going to find unique ways to get all of his playmakers involved, and Elliott will be no different. He has a history of not being afraid to put his body on the line for his teammates. In the modern NFL, players have to be careful about tackling and hard-hitting in certain situations; however, the Steelers' safety doesn't always let the rules hold him back.

Recently, Elliott spoke to the media about how practice has been going so far. Something that has been well documented has been that McCarthy is not allowing any kind of live tackling during training camp. This certainly might provide some challenges to guys like Elliott who love to hit. When asked if it is difficult to pull up prior to popping someone, he gave a very honest answer.

"Of course it is," Elliott said.  "Honestly, it's extremely hard cause with the mindset it's always like, just for me, like, I don't care about the guy across from me if it's not my teammate. Like, if you get hurt, you get hurt, I don't care. Here, it's kind of like, uh, 'How do I hit you?'"

Well, let that be a warning for offensive players across the league. The safety doesn't really care what happens to his opponents if he is tackling in a legal way. That's just the reality of football. It's extremely hard to protect oneself while also thinking about what could happen to the individual that a defender is hitting. New Steelers wide receiver Michael Pittman Jr. knows this all too well after an encounter with former Pittsburgh safety Damontae Kazee in 2023.

Professional football is not for the faint of heart. Players are consistently suffering injuries and the league has done everything it can to prevent them from happening. However, it's part of the game.

Despite being vocal about not really caring what happens to offensive opponents that he is tackling, Elliott admitted that the new practice approach actually helps guys focus on their mechanics.

"Honestly, it really helps you hone your craft being able to hit the strike zone the right way, bending your knees, keep your head up. Those things matter in the game nowadays. You gotta be able to have longevity."

Overall, the Steelers love Elliott because of how aggressive and physical he can be. What that means, though, is that anyone that crosses his path could end up feeling a little woozy.

Steelers Really Need To Get Healthy On Defense Soon

On paper, Pittsburgh has a stout defensive unit. Despite this, there are several lingering injury questions. One of those is surrounding Elliott. He has not done too much 11-on-11 work as he gets back in shape following surgery. Pittsburgh will need him in the lineup come mid-September, so the hope is that he ramps up properly and is ready to lay people out come Week 1.

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