The Pittsburgh Steelers have a ton of excitement surrounding the team as it gets ready for the 2025 regular season. There has been turnover all throughout the roster on both sides of the ball, and the ceiling for the team is fairly high. Some believe the team has what it takes to be legitimate contenders in the AFC, while other fans are a little more skeptical as a ton of change in one offseason doesn't usually pan out well. Pittsburgh is relying heavily on 41-year old quarterback Aaron Rodgers on offense, while the defense has also made some interesting changes.
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Steelers' Jalen Ramsey participates in a drill during the first day of training camp in 2025.
Pittsburgh parted ways with long-time free safety Minkah Fitzpatrick as he was traded back to the Miami Dolphins, and Pittsburgh was able to bring in future Hall of Famer Jalen Ramsey. Ramsey solidifies the secondary as he is expected to be very versatile, as does Darius Slay who will be lining up on the outside. Those two additions, plus an impressive rookie class with Derrick Harmon, Yahya Black, and Jack Sawyer should allow the defense to take a step forward in 2025.
Head Coach Mike Tomlin has openly discussed how good his defense could be, which is not something he often does when speaking on the outlook of a season. Former NFL General Manager Doug Whaley joined 93.7 The Fan on Wednesday morning and shared his thoughts on what Tomlin had to say.
"I like it, especially if you're talking about your head coach waxing poetically about the ceiling of the defense," Whaley said. "The one thing I look at, and it's great, he is basically assigning accountability to himself and his coaching staff. If I'm Teryl Austin, I'm on notice now that he's basically saying, 'We got the talent, now it's up to us to make sure this defense reaches the levels that we think and everybody's saying that it can!'"
Whaley makes an interesting point. Tomlin has acknowledged the amount of talent his defense has at all three levels, so there is essentially no excuse for underwhelming play from the unit. It will come down to coaching and execution, but Tomlin and Defensive Coordinator Teryl Austin are going to face a lot of scrutiny if the defense does not meet or surpass expectations.
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Steelers' Teryl Austin speaks to the media ahead of Week 14 matchup against the Cleveland Browns.
Pittsburgh made a ton of exciting additions to the defense, but the organization is also relying on some players to take some meaningful steps forward. This includes young players like Joey Porter Jr., Payton Wilson, Nick Herbig, and Keeanu Benton. Patrick Queen is another player that needs to improve on what he did in 2024. He was named an All-Pro in 2023 while he was with the Baltimore Ravens, and Pittsburgh would like to see him get back to that level of play.
The success of the defense is also going to rely upon the offense putting them in positions to succeed. This means less slow starts, being able to gain a couple first downs consistently on possessions, and limiting turnovers.
Steelers Need To Come To A Solution With Cam Heyward
A big piece of the defense is veteran Cam Heyward, who is currently holding-in as he is looking for his contract to be restructured in a way that reflects his high-level performance in 2024. He was an All-Pro at the age of 35, and he would like a raise. Pittsburgh doesn't seem to be willing to meet his contractual demands, and the defender seems to be willing to sit out regular season games until the situation is resolved.
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Steelers' Cameron Heyward gets ready for a play against the Ravens in Week 16 of the 2024 season.
He is a big part of what the Steelers do on defense, and he is going to be crucial to the success of the unit as a whole.
What do you think about Whaley's thoughts on Tomlin's comments? Let us know in the comments below!
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