Steelers reportedly signing veteran safety Darrick Forrest as Mike Tomlin looks to fix sagging secondary

The Pittsburgh Steelers are turning over every stone in an effort to fix their injury-depleted secondary. The Steelers are reportedly signing former Washington Commanders safety Darrick Forrest to their practice squad after working out Vonn Bell and former Chicago Bears All-Pro Eddie Jackson. 

A 2021 fifth-round pick, the 26-year-old Forrest spent his first four NFL seasons in Washington. His best season occurred in 2022, when he set career-highs with 88 tackles, four interceptions, two forced fumbles and a fumble recovery while starting 11 games.

Forrest missed 12 games due to injury in 2023 and received just one start in 2024 after the Commanders underwent a schematic change on defense under then-first year head coach Dan Quinn. He spent the majority of the summer with the Bills before spending less than a week on the Colts' practice squad. Ironically, the Steelers host the Colts Sunday in a matchup between two first-place teams. 

The Steelers will sign Forrest to help provide depth to a secondary that struggled in recent weeks. Pittsburgh's issues in the secondary are magnified by starting safety DeShon Elliott's knee injury sustained during this past Sunday's 35-25 loss to the Green Bay Packers. 

The Steelers surrendered 28 of the Packers' 35 points after Elliott left the game with what coach Mike Tomlin described as a hyperextended knee injury. Tomlin labeled Elliott as week-to-week but said he will miss this week's showdown with the 7-1 Colts. 

After a 4-1 start, the Steelers have lost two straight games after allowing 60 points, 688 passing yards and six touchdowns passes in those defeats.  Along with injuries, communication issues and an inability to consistently take away the opposing quarterbacks' primary read have also plagued Pittsburgh's secondary in recent weeks. 

"There's a lot of answers to that, to be honest with you," Tomlin said when asked how his unit can do a better job taking away the quarterback's primary read. "None of it is earth shattering or interesting. You change up schematics. You play man, you play both zones, all of which we do. We just hadn't been doing it well enough to minimize what you what you discussed. And so we're going to keep working."

In addition to working out free agents, Tomlin said that the Steelers are "open for business" regarding possibly acquiring a player before the Nov. 2 trade deadline. 

"We're always buyers," Tomlin said. "We're always trying to position ourselves to be the best that we can be this year. But that not only applies to the secondary that you asked about. I'm certain. I'm sure that applies to all three phases of the game."