In recent years, the Pittsburgh Steelers haven’t been shy about grabbing defensive backs with AFC North experience. This offseason, they signed Juan Thornhill after two years with the Cleveland Browns. DeShon Elliott is another example, as he spent three years with the Baltimore Ravens. And their most recent acquisition, Chuck Clark, is familiar with Elliott specifically, as the two were teammates together in Baltimore.

Speaking to the media after Sunday’s training camp practice, Clark mentioned that he asked Elliott to put a good word in for him in Pittsburgh.

“He [Elliott] just told me it’s a lot of history, a lot of football culture here,” Clark said. “I was actually reaching out to him before it happened. Like ‘Hey, put the word in,’ kind of thing. So we was just keeping back and forth and what not. And like I said, that’s my dawg right there… We was talking when he got his extension, and just kind of seeing things that were going on.”

Elliott sure seems happy that his former teammate is now alongside him again. The two were teammates in Baltimore for three years, from 2019-2021. Speaking Saturday, Elliott had high praise for his former, and now current teammate, calling him one of his best friends and handing out several compliments about his overall game.

For what it’s worth, it does seem like Elliott followed through in terms of putting a good word in. Speaking after practice Friday, the day Chuck Clark was signed, Mike Tomlin mentioned that Clark was highly recommended to him, specifically his “football character.” Given the fact that Clark mentions talking to Elliott about the football culture in Pittsburgh, those stars seem to align.

Now that he’s in the building, Clark may have quite a role. Elliott is guaranteed a starting spot, and Juan Thornhill will likely start alongside him. Behind those two, there wasn’t a ton of depth, though, hence the reason for Clark’s signing. He won’t immediately step into a huge role, but if there’s any poor play or injuries Clark’s name will be called often.

Up until the 2022 season, Clark had been playing at a very high level. Then, he missed the entire 2023 season with an ACL injury. Clark did play 12 games with the New York Jets last year and struggled against the pass, allowing a passer rating of 118.0 when targeted. He was solid against the run, though, with an 8 percent missed tackle rate. His career 7.2 percent missed tackle rate shows he’s been a consistent tackler for several years now. Our Josh Carney took a deeper dive into his game here.

He likely won’t be a huge difference maker in 2025, but Chuck Clark adds much-needed depth. It also sounds like he’s got plenty of chemistry with his old, and now new, teammate in Elliott.