The Pittsburgh Steelers have a revamped roster for the 2025 season as there has been a good amount of turnover at various positions. This is the product from one of the more aggressive offseasons fans have seen from the franchise, but it is still hard to say that the Steelers should be serious contenders in the AFC. The team is old, and there are a lot of question marks when analyzing the depth chart. There is a world where everything works out for Pittsburgh and the right players step up and have big years, but a lot of things need to go right in order for the Steelers to make some noise in the AFC during the 2025 season.
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Steelers Head Coach Mike Tomlin looks on during a snowy game in Cleveland during the 2024 NFL season.
There are some questionable positional groups in Pittsburgh, with one of the more talked about ones being the wide receivers behind DK Metcalf. The offensive line has also faced some criticism, but one group that hasn't been talked about much is the defensive line.
Cam Heyward is one of the best defensive lineman in the NFL, but outside of him, the Steelers are relying heavily on younger guys to take huge step forward in 2025. Team insider Mark Kaboly recently spoke about this on an episode of Kaboly + Mack.
"I think the undoing of this team might be something that nobody's talking about." Kaboly said. That defensive line, man, is just not - there's nothing that's jumping out there that says to me that they're gonna be a sure bet."
Pittsburgh has made some changes on the defensive line. Larry Ogunjobi is no longer with the team, and the organization drafted two rookies in Derrick Harmon and Yahya Black. The only truly proven player on the interior defensive line is Heyward, while the organization is hoping the rookies can make an immediate impact and Keeanu Benton can take a step forward as he heads into his third season.
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Steelers rookie defensive lineman Keeanu Benton makes a tackle on Green Bay Packer running back Aaron Jones during their Week 10 matchup in 2023.
As of now, the starting defensive line for the Steelers looks like it will be Heyward, Benton, and Harmon. There is good reason to think that the group will be pretty solid, however Heyward is the only solidified player within the unit. There are high hopes for Benton, but it is always hard to expect a rookie like Harmon to make an impact immediately.
Pittsburgh struggled to stop the run later on in the 2024 season, and it wound up being the downfall of the team as the Steelers got gashed on the run during the postseason. Fixing the defensive line was a clear focus of the 2025 offseason, and that was made obvious as the organization spent its first-round pick in that area.
The outlook of the defensive line is fairly bleak, and it is probably the weakest position group on the defense. Rookies and other young players will be relied upon heavily to make an impact, and if Harmon and Benton can step up, the group will be less of a worry. Black will have the chance to make an impact as a rotational piece, but the expectations are lower for him as he was a fifth-round pick.
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Steelers' Derrick Harmon on the bench during his time with Oregon in 2024.
Steelers Are Expecting Big Things From Derrick Harmon
Pittsburgh doesn't usually insert rookies into the starting line up right off the bat, but that is what is expected with Harmon. He has the chance to be really special at the NFL level as he excels at stopping the run while also pressuring the passer. If he can remain healthy, he could be very good by the end of his rookie. Some have predicted that he will be one of the names to watch in the Defensive Rookie of the Year race, and if he has a season like that he can help this defense be better overall than it was in 2024.
What do you expect from the defensive line in 2025? Let us know in the comments below!
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