Insider Tom Pelissero reported nearly two weeks ago that the Pittsburgh Steelers were signing free agent S Darnell Savage. He’s one of three additions in the secondary, joining fellow S Jaquan Brisker and CB Jamel Dean. The Steelers made fixing the secondary a priority this offseason, and Savage is a part of that.
So why haven’t the Steelers announced the Darnell Savage signing yet, nearly two weeks after the first report?
“I think they were still checking on medicals with him, last I heard,” Beat writer Mark Kaboly said Monday on The Fan Morning Show. “I’m not 100 percent sure. I don’t think they anticipate anything happening, I think it’s just a matter of going through a process.”
Darnell Savage does have a lengthy injury history in his seven-year NFL career. After the Buffalo Bills claimed him off waivers in 2025, Banged Up Bills (a Bills site focused on injuries of their players) looked at Savage’s NFL injuries. He’s missed at least one game in four of his seven seasons in the league.
No wonder the Steelers want to do their extremely thorough homework on Savage. The interesting thing is that he didn’t miss any time in 2025. So, this potential medical check taking so long is odd.
That’s why some people might be wondering if the Steelers are having second thoughts about signing Savage. After all, they signed Brisker after Pelissero reported the Steelers were going to sign Savage. Is it turning out to be a much smaller scale version of the Baltimore Ravens’ offseason, where they were trading for DE Maxx Crosby before they didn’t and signed DE Trey Hendrickson? Morning Show co-host Adam Crowley asked Kaboly if the Steelers were thinking about backing out.
“Not that I know of,” Kaboly said. “I just thought they just had to make sure on some medicals.”
As far as Kaboly knows, the Steelers are still planning on signing Darnell Savage, as long as he checks out medically. As for why the Steelers are signing Savage, check out our own Alex Kozora’s film room on what he brings to the team.