First Call: Juan Thornhill pushes back at Cleveland's portrayal of his skills; viral video of funny Browns photo op goof

A new Pittsburgh Steeler is still unhappy about how he was portrayed in Cleveland. The Browns had an unfortunate viral moment. Another Steeler is in the NFL’s Top 100.

And a former Steelers first-round pick may have just suffered a season-ending injury.

All that in Thursday’s “First Call.”

Not over it yet

New Steelers defensive back Juan Thornhill is still heated about how he felt he was treated by the Cleveland media after leaving the Browns this offseason.

As the Steelers reported to training camp Wednesday, Thornhill was asked for his reaction to the trade of fellow safety Minkah Fitzpatrick to the Miami Dolphins.

When Juan Thornhill heard about the trade of Minkah Fitzpatrick, he thought it was a joke

What he doesn't think is a joke is the idea he can replace Fitzpatrick as a starter in the Steelers secondary pic.twitter.com/VG0X8Us50d

— Chris Adamski (@C_AdamskiTrib) July 23, 2025

“I thought it was a joke at first. I don’t know Minkah that much, because I just got (to Pittsburgh),” Thornhill said. “That’s just me having to step up and play a little bit more. I think I’m very capable of that. I’m a great player. I can make a lot of plays.”

Thornhill thinks that his reputation as a player has been hurt by how the fans and media in Cleveland portrayed him. Some people started calling him “Jog Thornhill” after he was captured in one clip not going at full speed during a touchdown by the New Orleans Saints in November.

“You can’t really read into what the media is saying about me, because if you watch the film of what I did in Cleveland, I had a lot of good plays. Some of the Cleveland people just tried to bash my name a little bit,” Thornhill said. “But if you sit there and you just really watch the film, I made a lot of plays. I was very productive in that defense.”

Thornhill totaled 103 tackles over two years in Cleveland. However, he missed 12 total games during that time and didn’t force a turnover or record a sack in the 22 games he did play in the Browns secondary.

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Fitting fall

To quote legendary wordsmith JuJu Smith-Schuster, “The Browns is the Browns.”

Yes, even during a harmless photo op.

On Wednesday, the team unveiled its alternate helmet on a floating stage along the banks of Lake Erie.

That’s when someone taking pictures of the event fell off the stage and into the water. A mascot on stage, Chomps, comically tossed a life jacket to the photographer.

Someone fell off the raft when the Browns did the helmet reveal. I just can’t ???????? pic.twitter.com/oM8l2lZbbJ

— McNeil (@Reflog_18) July 23, 2025

The Browns later confirmed to Cleveland.com the photographer is OK, so feel free to have yet another cheap laugh at the Browns’ expense.

Did we mention that “Dude Wipes” was one of the sponsors seen in the video? Somehow, that seems appropriate.

Bad break

Former Steeler Artie Burns may have suffered a significant injury.

According to ESPN’s Adam Schefter, the former first-round pick may have torn an ACL during practice in Miami.

Dolphins veteran CB Artie Burns, who injured his knee at practice today and left on crutches, is feared to have a torn ACL, per source. Burns is now awaiting an MRI and second opinion to confirm. pic.twitter.com/SUkHmNXQsp

— Adam Schefter (@AdamSchefter) July 23, 2025

The University of Miami alum returned to his hometown in March. After stops in Chicago and Seattle. The Dolphins had room on the depth chart at cornerback even before the trade of Jalen Ramsey to Pittsburgh in exchange for Fitzpatrick.

Burns was in Pittsburgh from 2016-19. He’s now 30 with 10 years under his belt. Burns also tore an ACL at the start of the 2020 season with the Bears.

Another nominee

Speaking of Ramsey, he’s the latest Steelers player to make the NFL Films Top 100.

The recently acquired defensive back is player No. 66 on the list.

.@jalenramsey lands at #66 on the #NFLTop100 ‼️

????: https://t.co/EzcW0vejEA pic.twitter.com/qKBEQwTEQz

— Pittsburgh Steelers (@steelers) July 23, 2025

In 2024 with Miami, Ramsey posted 60 tackles, one sack, two interceptions and 11 passes defensed.

Ramsey is the third member of this year’s Steelers team to gain recognition in the league-wide player vote. Cam Heyward popped up at No. 83. Patrick Queen is 75th.

Every weekday, two new players are unveiled from the list. So that’s 10 total players ranked per week over 10 weeks leading up to the opening of the 2025 NFL season. The top 10 will be released at 8 p.m. Sept. 1 on NFL Network.