Among the surprising players on the Pittsburgh Steelers’ initial 53-man roster, S Jelen Elliott was at the top of that list for many. Today, I wanted to take a look at his NFL contributions so far.
Drafted by the Detroit Lions in 2020, Elliott did not play a single snap in the preseason or regular season as a rookie. His only time on defense in the regular season was in 2021, when he played just 92 snaps. Looking back, the only thing that stands out is the four missed tackles, which is a low 33.3% missed tackle rate.
Elliott played on special teams in 2021 as well, logging 138 snaps for five teams. Those opportunities included three solo tackles and an assist, but also two missed tackles and a PFF special teams grade of 44.9. So his regular season opportunities are long overdue, and he’s had issues with missed tackles on defense and special teams.
Jalen Elliott’s best performance in the 2024 preseason was on special teams, which probably earned him a roster spot. With that in mind, and covering his regular season opportunities, I wanted to take a closer look at his preseason special teams work in 2021 and beyond.
Looking at his special teams snaps (minimum 15 per season) and PFF special teams grades, we can see how he’s fared over his four seasons.
This visual shows Elliott’s positive trends in the 2024 preseason, with above-average snaps (32) and a 76.6 grade among a number of qualifiers (3,002). This is likely the aspect of his game we’ll see if he gets a regular season opportunity, and it’s nice to see his best contribution this preseason since 2021.
Yes, the long-term loss of rookie S Ryan Watts to the position room, especially injuries to others, does factor into the equation. But ultimately, Elliott survived cutdown day, and it will be interesting to see if he can continue to provide positive play on special teams. That aspect has been a concern for Pittsburgh this preseason, so keeping a capable player like Elliott makes sense given the context of the study.
The concern is that missed tackles have been a constant on defense, whether it’s the preseason or the regular season. His only regular season with special teams snaps was in 2021, and he had two missed tackles. On the bright side, though, he’s been cleaner in those situations, with just one missed tackle in four preseason appearances on special teams. But that missed tackle came this preseason.
If there are no injuries, Elliott will likely be a strong option on special teams if he plays in the 2024 regular season. Of course, there are no guarantees as roster ends change on a game-by-game basis. It seems more likely that Elliott will be out of action once the roster ends. But it’s good to know that Elliott could potentially contribute if the Steelers are so inclined. Hopefully, some good special teams play this preseason will translate into big games in 2024.
