Thanks to some key additions through the 2025 NFL Draft, on top of a couple of them in free agency, the Pittsburgh Steelers defense — on paper — looks quite good at this point.
Rookie defensive linemen Derrick Harmon and Yahya Black, rookie outside linebacker Jack Sawyer, veteran cornerbacks Darius Slay Jr. and Brandin Echols, veteran safety Juan Thornhill, and veteran defensive lineman Daniel Ekuale have the Steelers’ defense looking much better top to bottom than it did coming out of a Wild Card Round loss to the Baltimore Ravens.
In that loss, the Steelers were gashed from start to finish, allowing 299 rushing yards in embarrassing fashion. Almost immediately, the Steelers set out to address their run defense while also getting bigger and stronger across the board.
Thanks to their draft haul, the Steelers have seemingly accomplished that. And that had Jeremiah stating Wednesday that he believes the Steelers’ defense has a chance to be “really, really deep” and “really, really talented” in 2025 and beyond.
“When you look at Pittsburgh now, look at their front seven and the depth that they have, not just the starters, like their backup outside linebackers are gonna be Jack Sawyer and [Nick] Herbig on the other side. Those are good players. But you’ve got [Alex] Highsmith and, and then you’ve got T.J. Watt. Like, they’ve got four guys there,” Jeremiah said on Gregg Rosenthal’s 40s and Free Agents podcast, according to audio via the podcast’s page. “They’ve got depth that linebacker. Now, quarterback? We’ll see how that all comes together.
“But that defense has a chance to be really, really deep and really, really talented.”
On paper, it certainly does look deep and talented. Getting that to translate to the field is the key.
Adding players like Harmon and Black to a defensive line features All-Pro Cameron Heyward and Keeanu Benton and includes experienced veterans like Dean Lowry and Daniel Ekuale makes the position group all that much stronger.
Sawyer shores up depth behind T.J. Watt, Alex Highsmith and Nick Herbig, giving Pittsburgh an embarrassment of riches off the edge. Meanwhile, Patrick Queen, Payton Wilson, Malik Harrison, Cole Holcomb, Mark Robinson and rookie Carson Bruener have the inside linebacker room looking quite good.
Questions abound at cornerback and safety, though. Slay and Echols add experience and depth to the cornerback room with Joey Porter Jr., Cory Trice Jr., James Pierre and Beanie Bishop Jr., while rookie Donte Kent could compete for the slot role. But there’s no true star in that group, though hopes remain high for Porter.
Minkah Fitzpatrick needs a significant bounce back at safety and the Steelers hope to get another good season out of fellow starter DeShon Elliott while Thornhill and Miles Killebrew profile as good depth at the position for defensive coordinator Teryl Austin.
If the Steelers can get all the players locked in and working together — which was a problem late in the season during the five-game losing streak — Pittsburgh’s defense has a chance to be great. We’re talking best-in-the-league great. But those were the expectations last year and they fell woefully short.
We’ll see if they can come close to meeting those expectations this year, because things look quite good on paper.
