Former Kansas City Chiefs safety Juan Thornhill has found a new landing spot, signing with the Jacksonville Jaguars on Monday morning (h/t @MySportsUpdate). Thornhill was recently jettisoned from another contender, with the Pittsburgh Steelers parting ways with the struggling safety, leaving time to tell if he can bounce back as a member of the Jaguars' practice squad. This is the exact role that was speculated the veteran defender might fill for the Chiefs in a possible reunion.
Instead, Thornhill has joined a team that Kansas City is stuck looking up to in the standings, as Jacksonville is currently the AFC's No. 7 seed — two spots ahead of KC. Not only this, but the Jaguars own the tiebreaker over the Chiefs due to an early victory back in Week 5.
Ex-Chief Juan Thornhill Joins Jags to End Week 11
While many fans might be quick to point out that Thornhill would've helped the Chiefs' secondary, too, there is also an argument to be made that a practice squad safety isn't going to prove to be the missing piece. This is a Kansas City roster full of proven champions who simply aren't living up to expectations, and missing out on Thornhill is far from the end of the world.
For Thornhill, this is an incredibly important opportunity based on how badly each of his past two landing spots has ended. The defensive back flamed the Cleveland Browns on his way out of town and signed with a division rival in the Steelers. This tenure ended with head coach Mike Tomlin offering that "the play wasn't up to snuff," going out of his way to throw the safety under the bus.
Antonio Johnson and Andrew Wingard are the current starting safeties for the Jaguars, with it appearing very difficult for Thornhill to work his way into the starting lineup. However, there is an opening when it comes to depth, with both Caleb Ransaw and Eric Murray being placed on injured reserve this year.
It'll be interesting to see if the ex-Chief will make the most of his opportunity in Jacksonville. Even if this means playing a role on special teams and being the third or fourth safety on the roster, Thornhill badly needs a good stint to rebuild a bit of value and rehab his image.
Opting to sign in Jacksonville appears to be a path to doing just that, while selfishly, it would've been nice to see him back in a Chiefs uniform as emergency depth. Regardless, Thornhill has a great chance to turn his career around, putting him on a potential collision course with Kansas City if the Chiefs and Jaguars end up meeting in the postseason.