Steelers Wrap Up Training Camp + Revisiting Expectations
The Pittsburgh Steelers wrapped up their 2025 training camp program in Latrobe on Tuesday, and the team will now turn their attention to today’s joint practice against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, followed by a preseason game against them on Saturday.
With training camp now in the rearview mirror, we’ve gained a pretty good understanding of what our 53-man roster will look like. Of course, there will still be some parody over the next few weeks with some of those fringe guys, but the top-end talent on this team is undeniable and it has forced me to revisit my expectations for this team.
The Steelers’ secondary has stolen the hearts of yinzers far and wide, myself included. You know the names: Joey Porter Jr., Jalen Ramsey, Darius Slay, Brandin Echols, Deshon Elliot…this team is LOADED with DBs that can cover and tackle. James Pierre started for us last year in lieu of a Donte Jackson injury; this season, he will be the 5th best CB on our roster if I had to guess (6th best if Cory Trice Jr. gets healthy), and he’s still an excellent special teamer, so we’re going to get value out of keeping him around. Beanie Bishop Jr. is another guy in that secondary that is kinda on the fringe of missing the 53-man roster, but his experience at NB last season (I think) will get him over the hump. Beanie is a liability in man coverage, but he’s a willing tackler and an underrated communicator. We saw the communication breakdowns from the slot when Cam Sutton took over last season, or did we all forget about that? We’re done slandering Beanie Bishop Jr. for now…he has worked his tail off this summer.
The defensive line is another unit that is getting a lot of love this offseason, and rightfully so. Like the secondary, the Steelers are so damn deep along their defensive line, it’s actually kinda ridiculous. For time’s sake, I’m going to leave out the obvious names here. However, there’s some new names that I think are going to come in and make a significant impact sooner rather than later. First-rounder Derrick Harmon and fifth-rounder Yahya Black have both made their presence felt in Latrobe. Harmon has been “as advertised” as he is simply bigger than your offensive lineman, and quicker off the line than your offensive lineman. He’s going to be a problem starting week ONE. Then, there’s Yahya Black. I knew, because I watched almost every Iowa game from last year, but I love that yinz are learning in real time. What a fuckin monster that guy is. He needs some guidance to improve as a pass rusher, but his ability to fill gaps and bat balls at the line of scrimmage is unnatural. In the best way. Best d-line in football.
The linebacker’s core is pretty well set in stone at this juncture. Patrick Queen and Payton Wilson will be the leaders of that group; Wilson even gained some experience wearing the green dot in the game @ JAX. Cole Holcomb has become the Cinderella story of training camp for a lot of the diehard yinzers, and it’s certainly a comeback story that has my attention. Holcomb hasn’t appeared in a game since destroying his knee in 2023, but he has been turning heads all summer long as he works his way back to form, with some folks saying he’s better than he has ever been. As of now, he figures to be the top backup at ILB alongside Malik Harrison. Two very solid depth pieces.
There’s no doubt in my mind that this is a championship defense, but things get a little murky when you look at the offense. Like I’ve said all summer, even with the issues at QB and WR, I think the success of the offense starts and ends with the offensive line. When training camp first started, there were some ROUGH clips coming out that didn’t paint this offensive line in a good light. Over the past two weeks, though, things have drastically improved, especially the two tackle spots. Troy Fautanu and Broderick Jones are trending in the right direction as we get closer and closer to meaningful football games. We’re still talking about practice and preseason reps with these two, so let’s not rest on our laurels there, but I’m glad that I’m seeing some promise, specifically from Broderick Jones.
Of all the offseason acquisitions we’ve made on offense, I think Jonnu Smith is going to be the one that is noticed the most by fans. There’s a clear emphasis by Arthur Smith to manufacture touches for Jonnu Smith, something the Dolphins did a lot of last year, and I have to imagine that’s going to translate into Sundays.
BIG Darnell Washington is getting a lot of media attention after the Ravens fan went viral learning in real time who he is. He shouldn’t need the media attention for Arthur Smith to pull his head out of his ass and use him in the redzone, but I digress.
WR2 is that last nagging issue that the Steelers are still facing as we enter the midpoint of the preseason. I did a separate post about Calvin Austin III and how I think he’s in line for a big role this season, even if he’s not necessarily the right guy for the role. There’s still a couple weeks for the Steelers to add some receiver help, but as it sits right now, I see a TON of multiple tight end sets in our future. Maybe even some 4 TE sets. Freiermuth, Washington, Smith, Heyward/JJ Galbreath is a dangerous group, but I can’t imagine a scenario where that doesn’t look clunky in application. We shall see.
Overall, as it pertains to the offense, there’s just not a whole lot for me to write home about, unfortunately. Still, the addition of Aaron Rodgers cannot be underestimated. He is the best quarterback we’ve had in tow since 2018 Ben Roethlisberger, and I do think that makes this team good enough to be a problem in January, assuming health. The biggest thing for them is going to be the run game and time of possession, which, obviously, run hand-in-hand. And so I repeat: the success of this offense starts and ends with the offensive line.
I think the biggest thing that separates this group from the group(s) of the last several years (in my eyes) is that I can see how bought-in they truly are. Maybe I’m crazy but, lately, when you listen to Cam Heyward talk on his podcast, or Mike Tomlin speak publicly, or Jalen Ramsey on The Pivot…doesn’t it look like they know something we don’t? Doesn’t it seem like they feel something? I don’t know, man, but I think I feel it. Something about the guys we’ve acquired on this defense just has me feeling different about the 2025 Pittsburgh Steelers. The delusion has set in. I think we can win the Super Bowl.
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