Steelers' Elliott: 2023 Dolphins were 'soft,' lacked mental toughness

Pittsburgh Steelers safety DeShon Elliott took aim at the Miami Dolphins, calling his former team "soft" during a recent podcast interview.

The 27-year-old defensive back started 15 games last season for the Dolphins, who finished 11-6. Elliott failed to earn a victory in 2023 against Baltimore, where he spent four campaigns. The Ravens routed the Dolphins 56-19 last year. Elliott said he's looking forward to facing the Ravens on Sunday now that he's with the Steelers.

"I haven't been able to play against Baltimore the way I wanted to," Elliott said on the "Punch Line Podcast," according to CBS Sports' Cody Benjamin. "Because last year, I played for a team that was soft as f--k. ... There were some guys who were tough, but the majority of the team, there was not mentally tough individuals. So, to be on a team with a full team of mentally tough guys ... this is going to be fun."

Dolphins head coach Mike McDaniel declined to directly respond to Elliott's criticism when asked Wednesday about the comments.

"I think I am supremely only concerned with the 2024 Dolphins for sure," McDaniel said. "And I think that every team's ability to be mentally tough in an NFL season is definitely tried, and I think ... our team played a tough-fought game the last three weeks, and ended up finding a way to win this past week. ...

"Cool, you said it on a podcast? Cool podcast."

The 2024 Dolphins (3-6) ended a three-game losing skid Monday night with a victory over the Los Angeles Rams. Miami is 2.5 games behind the Denver Broncos for the final AFC wild-card spot.

Elliott's Steelers (7-2) are riding a four-game win streak and sit atop the AFC North with a half-game lead over the Ravens.