After whirlwind season, Steelers’ Trenton Thompson knows nothing is guaranteed

A week after most NFL training camps opened last summer, safety Trenton Thompson was little more than an unemployed ballplayer.

“In my mind, I was prepping to get ready to play for the now-UFL, the United Football League,” Thompson said last week, referencing his mindset on the first day of August.

Instead, by the first day of December, Thompson was a virtually every-down player who made a big play for a team in the National Football League.

So, even though Thompson ended the season on injured reserve and his status with the Pittsburgh Steelers is up in the air, he’s unfazed.

“This business can get tricky,” said Thompson, whose interception helped the Steelers beat the Cincinnati Bengals on Nov. 26. “You never know how it goes. Being an undrafted player, (take it) year by year and see where things go and how long I can keep my foot in the door in general.”

Thompson recognizes he has a long way to go to establish himself as an NFL regular. But he came quite a ways during this past season, especially considering he was out of work as camps opened.

“I am still trying to establish myself and get my foot in the building somewhere,” Thompson said.

“I am a guy who is never comfortable. I feel like even if you’re at your best, I feel like that’s how you stay at your best: You don’t get comfortable. We will see what happens. A lot of good things going on. A lot of good players here, let’s say that.”

Thompson had never played an NFL regular-season snap on defense until he was called upon by the Steelers with the game on the line for the Green Bay Packers’ final drive during a one-possession game Nov. 12 at Acrisure Stadium.

The Steelers held on for a win, even after what ended up being a season-ending injury to a player who was a mentor to Thompson, veteran safety Keanu Neal. The Steelers already were without All-Pro safety Minkah Fitzpatrick.

So, 18 months after entering the NFL as an undrafted free agent out of San Diego State, Thompson over the next five games played a significant role on the Steelers defense.

“I was ready for it. I was pumped up,” he said. “I was like, ‘It’s just football, man. I enjoy it. Don’t make it bigger.’ And I feel like that’s why I was able to go out there and just do my job pretty well and get some things done. I did some bad things, too, but I feel like I did an OK job for just getting thrown into the fire like that.”

Thompson’s season ultimately came to an abrupt end when he suffered a neck injury late during the Steelers’ Dec. 16 loss in Indianapolis. He was not available for the three-game winning streak that closed the regular season and was put on IR before their playoff game.

The IR move was not a reflection of the status of his injury, which by indications involved nerve issues because Thompson said it was his arm that was most affected. Thompson said he was practicing as much and with as much vigor as he had since suffering the injury. However, the Steelers needed to clear a roster spot so they could reactivate safety Damontae Kazee, who was returning from suspension.

Thompson said he should be 100% by the time spring workouts begin in April.

After a year in which he felt as if he learned so much from veteran defensive backs Neal, Fitzpatrick, Kazee and Patrick Peterson, Thompson heads into 2024 knowing he still needs to fight for the ability to establish himself as a player in the NFL. With all of the above under contract with the Steelers for this coming season and viable options at Thompson’s position, who knows what will happen?

Still, his current situation sure beats the alternative he believed he was facing: getting ready to play for a team in the merged USFL/XFL.

“I had a chance to come (to the Steelers) and made the best of it,” Thompson said. “I got on the (practice) squad and kept working as if I will eventually play, and it started to get to the point where I didn’t think it would happen. And then when it did, it just was craziness, a good feeling. I was happy about that.”