The Steelers signed safety Darnell Savage to a one-year contract, adding a veteran defensive back with 88 games and 82 starts to their roster. Pittsburgh also released defensive back Makari Paige in a related move.
Savage enters his latest stop with a résumé that still starts with promise. He was the 21st overall pick in the 2019 NFL Draft, and in seven seasons he has 10 career interceptions, 141 return yards and one interception returned for a touchdown. He has also piled up 367 tackles, 40 passes defensed, 11 tackles for loss, three forced fumbles, two fumble recoveries and one sack.
That is the profile the Steelers are buying now: a player who has seen nearly every phase of an NFL defensive backfield and has started 82 of his 88 games. He spent his first five seasons in Green Bay from 2019 to 2023, then signed with Jacksonville as an unrestricted free agent in 2024 and started all 13 games he played there. This year, he already has been with the Jaguars, Washington Commanders and Buffalo Bills, appearing in 12 combined games before landing in Pittsburgh.
His best stretch came early. Savage started all 14 games he played as a rookie and made the Pro Football Writers of America All-Rookie team. He followed that with four interceptions in 2020, tied for fifth among safeties in the league, then added 63 tackles, two interceptions and nine passes defensed in 2021. In 2022, he posted 57 tackles and five passes defensed, and he also recorded his first interception return for a touchdown when he picked off Kirk Cousins and ran it back 75 yards.
The twist in Savage's career is that his journey has never quite matched his draft slot. A first-round pick is usually a long-term anchor, but he has now spent time with four NFL teams since 2019 and three in 2025 alone. Even with that churn, he still brings recent production, including 25 tackles, three passes defensed and a forced fumble this season.
What the Steelers intend to do with Savage is not yet clear. What is clear is that they have added an experienced safety with a long starting resume, a postseason touchdown in Green Bay and enough versatility to make him worth watching when Pittsburgh next fills out its defensive backfield.
