Everyone is still undefeated in July. The Pittsburgh Steelers will be presented with challenges the next five months. Some they expect, and some they don’t. But so far, so good in Latrobe, Pa., where a new-look roster is playing the way it should. That’s how ESPN NFL insider Peter Schrager summed up the Steelers through four practices.
“That it’s going awesome and that this is what they envisioned,” Schrager said Monday on The Pat McAfee Show when asked to evaluate the team.
The Steelers’ new players have made their share of impact plays. Quarterback Aaron Rodgers and wide receiver DK Metcalf have formed a quick connection with a pair of touchdowns during the team’s Seven Shots period. On the other side of the football, cornerback Jalen Ramsey made his first splash play of camp over the weekend, skying high to intercept Rodgers. His versatility has also been on display, playing slot and outside corner along with safety.
Pittsburgh’s rookie class has impressed too. Everyone from first-round defensive linemen Derrick Harmon to seventh-rounder cornerback Donte Kent have made an impact.
The pads come on tomorrow, marking the first true football environment of the 2025 season. Players will continue to shine but others will disappoint while injuries will change the landscape of everything. But based on what the Steelers hoped to see and initial returns, the plan they had in their minds is playing out on the field.
“They didn’t do all these moves to finish 10-7 and miss the divisional round again,” Schrager said. “They believe they’re a Super Bowl contender and Omar Khan said it on the record earlier last week.”
Whether or not Pittsburgh can break out of its current 9-8 and 10-7 finishes remains to be seen. But it’s the catalyst to the radical and “unSteeler-like” moves of the offseason, aggressively trading for Metcalf, Ramsey, and tight end Jonnu Smith while waiting out a three-month decision from Rodgers. Comments Khan made to reporters at camp.
“The way we ended last year wasn’t good enough, and we talked about change having to happen,” he told reporters last Wednesday.
Becoming a Super Bowl contender remains a high bar and will have to be seen to be believed. The play of a young offensive line will dictate plenty and is already being tested with starting left guard Isaac Seumalo, the veteran of the group, and left tackle Broderick Jones currently injured. Rodgers will be under the microscope throughout, no longer viewed as an elite quarterback. But the Steelers thinks the group can come together and is showing flashes during the early days of training camp.
