Defense is part of the Pittsburgh Steelers’ DNA. There is a reason why some of the most beloved and talked-about figures in Steelers history are defensive players. The Steelers are built on the bedrock of defense. That’s why the Steelers are notorious for spending more than any team in the league on that side of the ball.
It’s why the Steelers continually rank among the top 10 defenses in the league. Gennaro Filice of NFL.com doesn’t see that changing in 2025. He has the Steelers sneaking into the Top 10 defenses right at number 10. It wasn’t easy for him, as he notes. But, like Thanos, the Steelers’ defense is inevitable. And it all starts up front.
“The Steelers haven’t exactly set the league on fire since Ben Roethlisberger’s retirement, but the defense continues to drag this organization into the playoffs,” Filice wrote. “It starts, of course, with T.J. Watt. The annual Defensive Player of the Year candidate is mired in a contract stalemate with the team, but I’m operating under the assumption that the two sides ultimately will reach a resolution… With Watt as the centerpiece, Pittsburgh boasts one of the very best defensive lines in football. Alex Highsmith and Nick Herbig provide enviable edge-rushing depth, while Cam Heyward continues to stiff-arm Father Time on the interior. Add in second-year pro Keeanu Benton and rookie first-round pick Derrick Harmon, and the Steelers are absolutely loaded up front.”
The Steelers, under head coach Mike Tomlin, want to control the line of scrimmage. That’s nothing new, of course. The Steel Curtain of the ’70s had Mean Joe Greene in the middle of that defensive line. However, the Steelers struggled down the stretch last year, culminating in a horrendous showing against the Baltimore Ravens in the playoffs. They gave up 299 yards on the ground to primarily RB Derrick Henry and QB Lamar Jackson. That’s a big part of why the Steelers drafted Harmon in the first round and Yahya Black later in the draft.
If Filice thinks so highly of the Steelers’ defensive front, why did he only put them at 10? It has to do with the backend. He noted that the Steelers suffered coverage issues at points, necessitating the additions at cornerback in Jalen Ramsey and Darius Slay. But the biggest question remaining is the free safety spot. Minkah Fitzpatrick is gone. And while he wasn’t himself, he’s still a big-name player at safety.
Can Juan Thornhill, the penciled-in replacement, be the guy to start at free safety? He’s got plenty of experience with 74 career starts and 87 total regular-season games. He’s also a two-time Super Bowl champion with the Kansas City Chiefs, including a five-tackle performance against the Philadelphia Eagles in Super Bowl LVII. But insider Ray Fittipaldo isn’t sold on Thornhill. He thinks the Steelers might need to address the position before the start of the regular season.
Despite those question marks in the secondary, Filice thinks the Steelers will have a top-10 defense in 2025. Former Carolina Panthers LB Luke Keuchly is even more enamored with the Steelers this year. He believes that with the talented players at all three levels, the Steelers will boast the best defense in the league. If they are the best defense in the league, the Steelers will certainly be primed for more than just making the playoffs.
Regarding their hated divisional rivals, Filice ranks the Baltimore Ravens third on the list. The top defense in the league? The Denver Broncos.
