Juan Thornhill finds new home with Cleveland Browns

Former Kansas City Chiefs Juan Thornhill has reportedly found a new home in NFL free agency.

Juan Thornhill spent his first four seasons in the NFL with the Kansas City Chiefs, but given his first foray into free agency, he was able to find a new home with the Cleveland Browns.

Per a report from Tom Pelissero, Thornhill is set to end his four-year run with K.C. by signing a three-year deal with $14 million guaranteed and a maximum of $21 million.

Thornhill was originally a second-round pick of the Chiefs back in the 2019 NFL Draft as a pro-ready safety out of Virginia. He hit the ground running as an instant starter during his rookie campaign and looked like an ascending young star before suffering a tragic torn ACL in the final game of that regular season. He still made the NFL’s All-Rookie Team in 2019.

Thornhill has worked his way back from that injury to, once again, be a well-rounded player, but he never took the leap into “elite” territory thereafter. He has, however, won two Super Bowls with the Chiefs and formed a formidable tandem playing alongside both Tyrann Mathieu and Justin Reid.

Without Thornhill, the Chiefs will now elevate last year’s second-round pick Bryan Cook higher on the depth chart as a likely starter in Thornhill’s place across from Justin Reid. The Chiefs still play a lot of three-safety sets on defense, so expect the Chiefs to make further moves to bolster the position in free agency and/or the draft.

Last season for the Chiefs, Thornhill had 71 total tackles, 1 sack, 3 interceptions, and 9 passes deflected in 16 starts.