The Pittsburgh Steelers have been through their fair share of trials and tribulations to begin the 2025 season. The defense has been beaten up and it has not performed anywhere near its expectations, and it has been inconsistent at best throughout the first six games of the year. The group has struggled to stop the run at times and the secondary has been picked apart. Despite all of this, the team is 4-2 and at the top of the AFC North, which is a pretty good spot to be in while trying to fix the defensive side of the ball.
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Pittsburgh Steelers Defensive Coordinator Teryl Austin during training camp in Latrobe, PA ahead of the 2025 season.
Pittsburgh re-worked its secondary during the 2025 offseason, and it is safe to say that the group has struggled to gel together. That is something that will hopefully improve naturally as the year goes along, but the schematics also need to improve on a week-to-week basis. There is also a chance that the coaching staff will begin to implement some different personnel in an effort to improve the defense, which is something insider Brian Batko mentioned in his weekly chat for the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. Batko was asked about Beanie Bishop Jr. getting elevated from the practice squad, but he instead mentioned Brandin Echols.
"Eh, that doesn't really do much for me, but I do wonder if Brandin Echols might get more opportunities in light of that complete coverage breakdown," Batko wrote. "He's a smaller, quicker corner with much more NFL experience playing on the outside than Beanie Bishop."
Echols was signed by Pittsburgh during the 2025 offseason and something of note regarding Echols is his versatility. He has plenty of experience playing in the slot and playing on the outside. Pittsburgh has deployed him in both of those spots throughout the 2025 season depending on the health of the rest of the secondary and the personnel packages Pittsburgh has on the field.
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Steelers running back Kenneth Gainwell (14) and cornerback Brandin Echols (26) during 2025 training camp in Latrobe, PA.
Batko wouldn't be surprised to see more of Echols moving forward, and that is simply because of the amount of coverage busts from the Pittsburgh defense during the Week 7 loss to the Cincinnati Bengals. It is hard to guess where Echols' services might be used, but it is fair to assume that he would be on the field more in obvious passing situations. This could mean having Jalen Ramsey play more safety in those spots, rather than having a player like Chuck Clark on the field, who has been responsible for several busts in coverage. This would put Echols in the slot, while Ramsey patrols the middle of the field.
The secondary got torn apart against the Bengals in Week 7, which is fair considering the Bengals have arguably the best wide receiver duo in the league. The embarrassing performance warrants some changes from coaching staff however when it comes to the defensive side of the ball, and having Echols on the field more might be the first fix. He has had a decent season so far with limited opportunities as he has broken up two passes and recorded one interception.
Steelers Will Have Another Defensive Challenge In Week 8
Pittsburgh takes on the Green Bay Packers in Week 8, and that offense is going to present another challenge for the defense. The offense of the Packers has plenty of weapons while also employing an efficient rushing attack with Josh Jacobs leading the way in the backfield.
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Jordan Love lines up for a snap against the Pittsburgh Steelers' defensive front during a regular season game in 2023.
Green Bay's offense is 12th in the NFL when it comes to yardage gained through the air, so the secondary is going to need to tighten things up ahead of this matchup in order to give Pittsburgh any chance of getting back in the win column.
Would you want to see Echols on the field more for the Steelers' defense? Let us know in the comments below!
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