The Steelers have once again assembled the costliest defense in the NFL, but is it finally also the best defense? Nick Herbig thinks so, or at least that it’s time for those players to live up to their full potential. Now in his third season with the unit, he believes they are ready to take off.
“I think it’s just, we’re finally coming into our own”, Herbig said of the defense, via the Steelers’ website. “We’ve got a lot of guys who’ve played a lot of football on that defense, a lot of experience. So I think it’s about time for us to put on a show”.
The Steelers occasionally manages to put on a defensive show—even winning games without benefitting from an offensive touchdown. But after lagging in sacks last year, Nick Herbig and company want to get after the quarterback in 2025.
With all the money on the unit there is a lot to live up to. Once again, the Steelers have the highest-paid NFL player on defense after inking T.J. Watt to a new extension. But they also expect Alex Highsmith, Herbig, and rookie Jack Sawyer to produce.
And the Steelers also expect to see better complementary football on defense, primarily thanks to a revamped secondary. Although they parted with Minkah Fitzpatrick, they brought in Jalen Ramsey and Darius Slay. The free safety position is somewhat of a question mark, but the cornerbacks could be really, really good.
Up front, the Steelers also believe the trenches are more secure, thanks to the influx of rookie talent. It certainly seems as though Pittsburgh expects Derrick Harmon to hit the ground running, and Yahya Black is already adding some intrigue. And who knows, perhaps we finally see something out of DeMarvin Leal—if he makes the team.
The AFC North is not an easy division in which to play, containing some of the league’s top offenses. Facing the Ravens and Bengals twice a year is a tall task, which drives the Steelers even further to invest in defense. Because the only way to earn a home playoff game is to get past these quarterbacks.
Some might argue that the Steelers have no weak links on defense, or that if they do, it’s a relatively easy one to cover for. But we’ve gone into seasons with high expectations on defense in the past only to come away disappointed.
For what it’s worth, the defense is clearly overmatching the Steelers’ offense right now. Steelers on Steelers, it’s always harder to tell whether that’s a good thing or a bad thing. It sounds good on paper to get the better of Aaron Rodgers, but who is Aaron Rodgers in 2025? While they are certainly footing the bill, we won’t know how valuable this defense really is until November or December.
