Killebrew signed a one-year deal with the Steelers on Saturday, Ian Rapoport of NFL Network reports.
Killebrew spent the first five seasons of his career in Detroit, slowly losing his grip on a defensive role as his career progressed. However, he also emerged as a strong special teams player in that span and figures to remain in that role with the Steelers.
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Lions' Miles Killebrew: Clear of injury report
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Killebrew (personal) is absent from Detroit's injury report Wednesday.
The 27-year-old missed Sunday's win over the Falcons for personal reasons, but he's back with the team for the start of practice this week. Killebrew has exclusively played special teams for the Lions this season.
Lions' Miles Killebrew: Unavailable against Falcons
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Killebrew (personal) won't play in Sunday's game versus the Falcons, Tim Twentyman of the Lions' official site reports.
Killebrew has operated exclusively on special teams this season, so his absence won't shake up the defensive dynamic. His next chance to suit up will be Week 8 against the Colts.
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Lions' Miles Killebrew: Re-ups in Detroit
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Killebrew re-signed with the Lions on Friday.
Since being selected by the Lions in the fourth round of the 2016 NFL Draft, Killebrew has played 63 of 64 regular-season games and posted 93 tackles, six pass breakups and an interception. The Lions may address their secondary needs through the draft, but Killebrew will have to compete for a starting role regardless.
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Lions' Miles Killebrew: Clear of concussion
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Killebrew (concussion) doesn't have an injury designation for Sunday's game against the Cowboys.
Killebrew sat out last week's loss to the Bears due to the concussion, but he was able to clear the concussion protocol to practice fully Thursday and Friday. The 26-year-old should serve his usual role on special teams for the Lions.
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Lions' Miles Killebrew: Practices in full Thursday
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Killebrew (concussion) was a full participant in Thursday's practice.
Killebrew hasn't yet officially cleared the league's concussion protocol, but Thursday's full practice session is certainly a notable step in the right direction. He'll still need to meet with an independent neurologist before retaking the field. When the depth safety is cleared to return, he'll resume playing his usual role on special teams.
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Lions' Miles Killebrew: Out with concussion
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Killebrew is out for Sunday's contest against the Bears due to a concussion.
Killebrew was originally thought to have suffered a general head injury, but his status was updated to a concussion on Friday's injury report. The safety is mainly known as a special teams mainstay, but his absence will hurt the Lions' depth in the secondary as well.
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Lions' Miles Killebrew: Special-teams mainstay in 2018
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Killebrew tallied five tackles in 16 games during the 2018 season.
Killebrew did nothing to separate himself in the offseason and ultimately saw the field for just one defensive snap in 2018. His physical tools are undeniable, but he hasn't found a way to get on the field despite being experimented with at both safety and linebacker. His roster spot is probably safe for the time being given his insignificant cap hit, but Killebrew has a lot of work to do in order to resurface on the IDP radar.
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Lions' Miles Killebrew: Dabbling at linebacker
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Killebrew worked exclusively as a linebacker in individual drills this week, Dave Birkett of the Detroit Free Press reports.
Killebrew has worked as the No. 5 safety in offseason workouts and doesn't have a clear defensive role in advance of the 2018 season. There's been no word on whether his position change is permanent, but the Lions nonetheless seem intent on finding ways to get the third-year player on the field this season. At 6-foot-2 and 222 pounds, Killebrew possesses favorable size for a dime- and nickel-package linebacker, and creative head coach Matt Patricia could experiment with a number of different alignments to take advantage of Killebrew's notorious physicality.
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Lions' Miles Killebrew: Regresses in second season
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Killebrew recorded 38 tackles, five PBUs, one interception, one forced fumble and one touchdown across 16 games in 2017.
Killebrew, a 2016 fourth-rounder, was expected to take on an expanded role during his second season, particularly after starter Tavon Wilson (shoulder) was placed on injured reserve in late November. He started the new campaign off in style, too, as the Southern Utah product notched his first career pick-six in the season opener. However, his playing time dwindled as the year went on and Detroit ultimately chose to convert cornerback Quandre Diggs to safety to fill Wilson's void instead of Killebrew. The once-promising IDP prospect has lost quite a bit of his luster and will proceed into the 2018 offseason as Diggs' clear backup.
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Lions' Miles Killebrew: Opportunity knocks with Wilson out
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Killebrew is expected to take on extended snaps at safety for the rest of the season with Tavon Wilson (shoulder) headed for injured reserve, Justin Rogers of The Detroit News reports.
Killebrew started in Week 3 against the Falcons after Wilson aggravated his shoulder for a second time this season, with the 24-year-old taking advantage of the opportunity by producing a career-high nine tackles across 53 snaps. He settled into a backup role thereafter, but with the Lions opting to shut down Wilson following his third aggravation of the shoulder in the Thanksgiving Day loss to the Vikings, Killebrew will presumably move into a starting role alongside free safety Glover Quin. Based on the tackle production he provided in Wilson's stead earlier this season, Killebrew could be an intriguing option in IDP settings over the final quarter of the campaign.
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Lions' Miles Killebrew: Logs first career start Sunday
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Killebrew was a starter in Sunday's 30-26 loss to the Falcons and tallied eight total tackles.
With starter Tavon Wilson (shoulder) sidelined, Killebrew logged his first career start Sunday and fared pretty well considering he ultimately led the team in tackles. Meanwhile, the second-year safety has also developed into an integral part of the Lions' special teams unit, which only affords him more opportunities to rack up the stats. It isn't clear how much longer Wilson will remain sidelined, but, in any case, Killebrew figures to continue seeing a decent amount of playing time.
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Lions' Miles Killebrew: Making strides in second season
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Killebrew recorded four tackles and a pass deflection in Monday's 24-10 victory over the Giants.
Killebrew was penciled in as the No. 3 safety entering the season, but it seems the Lions are tasking him with even more responsibility now after his coming-out party in the season opener in which Killebrew recorded his first career pick-six. In fact, Killebrew's 42 defensive snaps Monday was significantly greater than that of starter Tavon Wilson, who garnered 23. If he can maintain his productive ways as the season unfolds, it wouldn't be a surprise to see Killebrew outright displace Wilson as the first-string strong safety.
