Pittsburgh Steelers safety Shamarko Thomas didn’t have a great preseason and because of that, it looks like the third-year Syracuse product has lost his starting job.
According to the Washington Observer-Reporter, veteran safety Will Allen will start alongside Mike Mitchell Thursday night in the regular-season opener against the New England Patriots.
This is not overly surprising based on the way that Thomas has played during the preseason. He has struggled in the cover-2 defense quite often and that has resulted in long touchdowns.
Thomas did not play many snaps alongside Mitchell during the preseason as an ankle injury prevented Mitchell from playing the last two weeks.
Allen might not be fast or flashy, but he does know the Steelers defense inside and out and he usually can be counted on to be in the right spot on the field.
As for Thomas, he will likely see time on special teams while he works to reclaim his starting spot.
Shamarko Thomas on his preseason: "It was a learning stage. I gave up two big plays in two games. It just taught me a lot about myself."
— Mike Prisuta (@DVEMike) September 6, 2015
