Rayshawn Jenkins showed his value in the Pittsburgh Steelers’ Friday night preseason loss to the New York Jets. It’s usually not ideal when a team adds a 32-year-old free agent journeyman during training camp, but Jenkins, a hard-hitting safety, has proven to be a revelation in his limited sample size.

Every team wants to find young, cheap talent, but the value in bringing in a veteran is experience. Steelers defensive coordinator Patrick Graham lauded Jenkins for exactly that a day after the game.

“True pro. So, first cliche today, but he’s a true pro. True pro. Seriousness about his craft and very coachable,” Graham said of Jenkins via a team-provided transcript. “For someone who’s had a lot of experience, a lot of success, I don’t see a guy coming in there saying, ‘Hey, I’ve done it a certain way. This is how we’re going to do it.’ I see a guy coming in there being open to how we do it and how the Steelers are going to get down in terms of secondary play and being real open to that and doing his best to execute.”

Jenkins has been with Pittsburgh for all of 20 days but showed up in a big way against the Jets. He was in their backfield constantly, proving to be an asset in the run game and blitzing the quarterback. Jenkins registered a pair of quarterback hits and a tackle for a loss. It may not show up in the stat sheet, but he forced an intentional grounding penalty on rookie QB Cade Klubnik.

Jenkins off edge. Intentional grounding called #Steelers pic.twitter.com/B0yld3CQzt

— Steelers Depot 7⃣ (@Steelersdepot) August 21, 2026

The numbers crunch in the safety room is still playing out. DeShon Elliott and Jaquan Brisker are locks to make the roster as the Steelers’ presumed starting safety tandem. Jalen Ramsey will also be on the 53-man roster but his role at safety is still not fully clear, though there will surely be some. Robert Spears-Jennings, Sebastian Castro, and Israel Mukuamu — or some combination of the three — may feel the squeeze brought on by Jenkins’s late arrival and strong play thus far.

Meeting in the backfield R.Jenkins, D.Slaughter #Steelers pic.twitter.com/6VuuvAaVoY

— Steelers Depot 7⃣ (@Steelersdepot) August 21, 2026

Jenkins’ ability to play free safety and contribute on special teams may also bolster his chances of sticking around. Position flexibility is as important as ever under Mike McCarthy and Jenkins will benefit given his varied skill set.

While he appears to check every box on the field, Jenkins also seems to be a positive influence locker room.

“He’s been a pleasure to be around,” Graham said. “We’re trying to get to learn one another and he’s been open, so that’s a positive too.”

All signs are pointing to Jenkins making the roster and fitting right in on a defense that prides itself on physical play. The role he will play this season still needs to be defined, but having options at any position is never a bad thing.