The focus for the Pittsburgh Steelers this offseason from a roster-construction standpoint centers on the quarterback position, because if the Steelers can’t figure out the most important position in sports, nothing else matters.
That said, that doesn’t mean there aren’t other major areas of need for the Steelers ahead of the 2025 season. Defensive line is a major area of need, as is running back if Najee Harris walks in free agency.
One other area of need for the Steelers is focused in the secondary. That’s the biggest team need for The Athletic’s Derrik Klassen, at least. In a piece for The Athletic Wednesday, Klassen stated the Steelers’ biggest priority this offseason is to “retool the secondary” which struggled late in the 2024 season.
So far, that retooling has seen the Steelers hire former NFL defensive back Gerald Alexander to their coaching staff, while letting the contract of former secondary coach Grady Brown expire. Now, roster decisions await, with veteran cornerback Donte Jackson at the top of the list.
“The defense barely held up its end of the bargain last season, however, in large part because of the secondary. Joey Porter Jr. is a capable (if sometimes overaggressive) CB1, but the rest of the cornerback room needs to improve,” Klassen writes. “Donte Jackson was admirable last season on the outside, but he’s set to be a free agent. So is Cameron Sutton, who missed more than half the season before returning to play the nickel. Beanie Bishop Jr. may be able to take over the nickel (the way he did for the first half of the season), but he is rather limited in man coverage.”
Cornerback is a major need for the Steelers to address, both in free agency and in the draft. While Joey Porter Jr. had some good moments last season, he regressed and struggled with his physicality in coverage, leading to a number of flags. There was that six-flag game in Cincinnati that was quite dreadful.
He did have one interception on the season, but his struggles were noticeable in Year 2, which had Porter stating after the season that he’s going to come back a different player.
Jackson set a career-high in interceptions (five) on the year, but he was a liability down the stretch. Chances seem good that the Steelers are likely to do business with him again, but that’s not all that enticing after seeing how he played late in the year. Sutton’s probably played his last snaps in the NFL, and Bishop needs more time to develop before being handed the top job in the slot again.
Guys like Cory Trice Jr., Cameron McCutcheon and Kyler McMichael all bring good size to the position and are certainly intriguing, but it’s clear the Steelers need help at cornerback.
It’s not just cornerback either. Safety left much to be desired as Minkah Fitzpatrick had a down year again. He had just one interception and wasn’t his usual impactful self. DeShon Elliott was very good in his first year with the Steelers, but Damontae Kazee was a mess as the third safety.
Klassen sees safety as an area of need, too, on top of cornerback.
“Part of the Steelers’ equation in years past counted on Minkah Fitzpatrick’s ability to roam the middle of the field and generate plays out of thin air, but Fitzpatrick is coming off the worst year of his career. It’d be both unlikely and difficult for the Steelers to move on from Fitzpatrick, but it’s probably a conversation they’re having,” Klassen writes.
It’s very unlikely the Steelers are having conversations about moving on from Fitzpatrick. Head coach Mike Tomlin and defensive coordinator Teryl Austin stated time and time again last season that Fitzpatrick was doing a great job. The numbers don’t exactly bear that out, but he handled his role as a deep safety well.
Communication issues late in the season were seemingly placed on Fitzpatrick, but the tape showed that wasn’t the case. He needs to be better moving forward though. The entire secondary does.
They’ll be able to add via free agency and the draft to the position group.
“The good news is the Steelers have the money to take a swing. Corners such as Carlton Davis, Charvarius Ward, D.J. Reed and Rasul Douglas are set to hit the market and would be upgrades over Jackson. Ward is the best stylistic fit to play across from Porter,” Klassen writes of potential free agent targets.
Davis, Ward and Reed have all been linked to the Steelers so far this offseason. The Steelers have struggled to develop cornerbacks lately, so they’ll need to spend some cash on a proven one, much like they did a few years ago with Steven Nelson. That move worked out well until they moved on from him in surprising fashion.
With a new defensive backs coach in Alexander, and a second year with assistant defensive backs coach Anthony Midget — both are former NFL defensive backs — the group needs to take a step forward this year.
