Watch: Trenton Thompson Grabs First Career Interception

Trenton Thompson jumped a curl route on the outside and did not take it for a far return, but he got it into their hands. With the Bengals driving and threatening to extend the lead, it was a massive shift for the team.

The Steelers inserted Thompson into the lineup with plenty of confidence in him. Thompson joined the Steelers in training camp after several injuries at the safety position and got plenty of playing time throughout camp and the preseason. His playmaking ability jumped out to the coaching staff in the preseason after he caught an interception against the Buccaneers. That and his relentless work ethic were key reasons in keeping him around on the practice squad.

“I think we like Trent. We thought when we got Trent, it was in camp,” defensive coordinator Teryl Austin said. “He came in and was tough, good tackler, showed some ball awareness, ball skill. Those are the things you like. But again, until you see him in a real game situation like last week he kind of got thrown in and all of a sudden we’ve got Trent in the game, we’ve got Eli in the game, we’ve got a bunch of guys in the game that maybe you’re not used to seeing, so until we get more of a body of work, then we’ll feel more comfortable with him. But we like his initial skill set and the things we saw.”

Thompson was able to make many things happen in his first start. That continued this week. Pittsburgh thinks they could have something in Thompson if he continues to make plays.