The Pittsburgh Steelers had a good thing going for most of the 2024 season. Then, things fell apart. There were a litany of things that went wrong during their five-game losing streak to end the season. The Steelers’ defense had plenty of issues, with lapses in communication being a major factor. Minkah Fitzpatrick is making a concerted effort to keep that from happening again in 2025.
“There should be no gray,” Fitzpatrick said Tuesday while speaking to the media after practice. “It should just be ‘This is how we’re doing it, this is how we’re going to communicate’. If i give you a thumbs up, give me a thumbs up back. So when guys aren’t doing it, it’s establishing, this is what we’re doing, if you don’t want to do it you ain’t gonna be here. Or you’re not gonna be on the field.”
For the first half of the 2024 season, the Steelers’ defense played like the dominant unit we’ve come to know and respect. With Justin Fields starting the first six games of the season, the Steelers declined to take many risks with the ball. The offense wasn’t scoring a ton of points. But it did manage to keep the defense out of any bad situations. The defense paid it back by silencing most of the offenses it faced over the first half of the season.
Unfortunately, things could not have been further from that as the season came to an end. The defense struggled in both of the Steelers’ losses to the Baltimore Ravens late in the year. That loss in an AFC Wild Gard game was one of the worst defensive performances the franchise has ever seen, with the Ravens running at will throughout the game. During that losing streak, the defense was on the field for almost the entire fourth quarter in the Steelers’ loss to the Philadelphia Eagles, who ran out the clock with ease.
This year, the defense brings back plenty of familiar faces. The Steelers still need to get T.J. Watt’s contract situation sorted out. When they do, Watt, Fitzpatrick and Heyward all come back as familiar stalwarts. Most of the defense around those three are the same. The Steelers also have notable fresh faces in Darius Slay and Derrick Harmon, who should each make a big impact in 2025.
There are plenty of question marks on the offense, though. Nobody knows who the quarterback’s going to be yet. After trading George Pickens, there are a few questions marks at receiver too. Although the Steelers do seem to be looking to improve that spot. Regardless, the Steelers know they’ve got to be great defensively for this team to make any noise. Fortunately, they’re placing an emphasis on fixing one of their biggest issues from last season.
