It goes without saying that the Pittsburgh Steelers 2025 campaign might be the team’s most anticipated season in years. That anticipation ballooned following an electric offseason by the front office that included the acquisitions of a future Hall of Fame quarterback (Aaron Rodgers), two possible future Hall of Fame defensive backs (Jalen Ramsey and Darius Slay), a two-time Pro Bowl receiver (DK Metcalf) still in his prime and several promising rookies.
All of these moves created a buzz that permeated over Saint Vincent College in Latrobe, Pennsylvania, throughout the first week of Pittsburgh’s training camp. Amid the hot and muggy (and at times, stormy) weather, thousands of Steelers fans waved their Terrible Towels and cheered a team that they hope can break the franchise’s eight-year drought without a playoff win six months from now.
The funny thing about the Steelers is that, while anticipation is high regarding the 2025 season, no one has the slightest idea as to what to expect from this Pittsburgh team. Will it end the playoff win drought while making a possible Super Bowl run? Will it follow recent teams by putting together another good — but not good enough — nine- or 10-win season and early playoff exit? Will it completely fall apart and render Mike Tomlin his first losing season as the Steelers head coach?
All of this unknown left many riding the emotional roller coaster that was the first week of Steelers camp, specifically when it comes to the offense and quarterback Aaron Rodgers. It seemed as if the expectations regarding Rodgers and the offense changed on virtually every snap during the first week of camp, so much so that Tomlin alluded to it after the offense responded to some adversity during the second day of practice.
“It’s gonna be ebb and flow,” Tomlin said. “I don’t ride the emotional roller coaster on Day 2. We’re gonna keep snapping.”
Taking Tomlin’s cue, these observations from the Steelers’ first week of training camp will also try to keep things even keel. That being said, it’s safe to say several things were made very clear after the first practices of camp. Let’s take a look at each one, starting with Rodgers and the offense.
Rodgers still getting warmed up
As expected, the Steelers offense looked like a unit that hasn’t spent much time together. There were struggles, but there were enough good plays to convince anyone watching that this could be a very good group once it finds its rhythm. The main question is: how long will it take for that to happen?
It was a far cry from 2018, when Ben Roethlisberger started training camp by throwing dimes to Antonio Brown. Despite Le’Veon Bell’s absence, the Steelers offense was in near midseason form during the first week of camp and would go on to tie the franchise single-season record for touchdowns.
If the 2018 offense is the standard, the Steelers’ current offense is months behind where that unit was. Again, this is expected given all the new acquisitions on offense and the fact that Rodgers didn’t take his first official snap with the team until the first day of training camp.
Rodgers’ first week of camp consisted of many incompletions, batted balls and interceptions to Patrick Queen (on his first pass) and Jalen Ramsey. He looked frustrated at times, but said during his lone media availability last week that he typically takes chances during practice that can lead to mistakes. That’s why it’s practice.
Rodgers did have some nice throws, especially in the red zone and during Seven Shots, a seven-play drill between the offense and defense from the 2-yard-line. Rodgers, when he was in the pocket and had time to throw, looked like the future Hall of Famer he is. He specifically had success throwing to Metcalf and tight ends Pat Freiermuth and Darnell Washington. One can expect newcomer Jonnu Smith to get into the act when he gets caught up to speed. That shouldn’t take long, given Smith’s impressive work ethic that includes considerable time with the Jugs machine post practice.
But Rodgers was anything but himself outside of the pocket. On Saturday, Rodgers was off the mark on a pass to the sideline that came after he left the pocket. During the same practice, Rodgers heaved his first deep attempt of camp in the direction of Metcalf. While Metcalf nearly made an incredible catch, it wouldn’t have counted as Rodgers threw it several yards out of bounds.
Saturday’s practice also included a myriad of drops as Rodgers at one point threw five straight incompletions. He also had a bevy of passes batted down during the first week of practice.
Tomlin, Metcalf and Rodgers all shrugged off the offense’s early struggles, and one can understand why. It was just one week, and it’s going to take time for the offense to figure it out. But how long? While the Steelers continue to try to figure it out, the Bengals, for example, are firing on all cylinders on offense behind Joe Burrow and wideouts Ja’Marr Chase and Tee Higgins. The Steelers have time, but not that much time until they face the Jets 40 days from now in their regular season opener.
Unless things change quickly, the Steelers offense won’t be close to realizing its potential when the ball is kicked off Week 1. To be fair, no offense or unit is at that point in the season, but the Steelers offense is trending towards being even further behind the eight ball. The unit may end up being one of the NFL’s better ones, but it might take a while for it to get there.
Strength in numbers
The 2025 Steelers offense has something the prolific that the 2018 unit lacked: depth at the skill positions. The Steelers may not have a prolific No. 2 receiver, but they are looking to make up for it by spreading the ball around to their array of playmakers.
Along with Metcalf, Rodgers also has quality tight ends in Freiermuth, Smith and Washington; receivers Calvin Austin III, Robert Woods, Scotty Miller (who had a strong first week of camp) and Roman Wilson; and running backs Jaylen Warren and rookie Kaleb Johnson. Each one is expected to contribute to the offense in 2025.
The Steelers’ depth should make them especially dangerous in the red zone, which was the case during the first week of training camp. It’ll also make it easier for the Steelers to have a balanced offense while making them a less predicable unit than in years past.
It doesn’t take Bill Walsh to figure out what Steelers offensive coordinator Arthur Smith wants to do: Employ three tight ends and have Rodgers matriculate the ball down the field. Rodgers will occasionally throw downfield (the Steelers didn’t get him just to be a game manager), and when he does, Metcalf will likely be his intended target.
The issue, however, is that the Steelers don’t have any other deep threats outside of the 5-foot-9 Austin. So it’s conceivable to think that defenses will stack the box and force Rodgers to beat them over the top. This is an inevitable problem that the Steelers will have to figure out.
All this being said, the Steelers have the potential to be a very potent offense. In Metcalf, they have their best receiver since Brown, their best quarterback since Roethlisberger in Rodgers and a running back duo that has the potential to be even better than the one Warren enjoyed the past few years with Najee Harris. It might just take longer than desired for the group to reach its potential.
Offensive line woes
Like the rest of the offense, Pittsburgh’s offensive line has loads of potential. The issue so far, however, is that it largely failed to show it during the first week of camp.
Things didn’t start well for the unit when news broke that Isaac Seumalo hasn’t been practicing as he is dealing with a soft tissue injury. Now, another starter, left tackle Broderick Jones, exited Sunday’s practice early after suffering a lower-body injury.
Starting center Zach Frazier hasn’t been injured, but he probably wished he had an excuse for several botched snaps that ultimately led to him temporarily removed from Seven Shots on Saturday. That was the second straight Seven Shots that began with Frazier firing a low snap that killed the play before it had a chance to truly start.
On a positive note, starting right tackle Troy Fautanu largely held his own while getting a lot of work against perennial Pro Bowl pass rusher T.J. Watt. Fautanu got beat for what would have been a sack during a recent practice but responded by containing Watt on the following play.
From a depth perspective, the Steelers line is in decent shape with tackle Dylan Cook, guard Spencer Anderson and center Ryan McCollum, who is currently dealing with an undisclosed injury.
Where is T.J. Watt?
As expected, T.J. Watt lined up at different spots during the first week of camp in an effort to help him continue to wreak havoc on opposing offenses. Watt has occasionally lined up on the right side of the line instead of being in his customary spot on the left side.
While Tomlin downplayed it after a recent practice, Watt lining up in different spots is indeed significant. Watt had just two sacks during the final five games last season as offenses made it a point to limit his impact. That stretch of games made it clear that Watt and the Steelers needed to get creative if the former NFL Defensive Player of the Year wants to continue to produce as such moving forward.
Based on last week’s practices, it’s clear Watt and the Steelers are exploring their options as far as him lining up at different positions.
Defense off to strong start
We’ve spent a lot of time discussing the offense. Now let’s talk about a little bit about a defense that should be in the running for the NFL’s best this season.
Pittsburgh was hellbent to improve a defense that got chewed up to the tune of 299 rushing yards during January’s wild-card playoff loss to Baltimore. That game seems like a distant memory now after seeing the defense last week in Latrobe.
Sure, it was one week without pads. But sometimes, you don’t need to see much to realize you’re seeing something that has a chance to be special.
Let’s start with the defensive line that includes potential future Hall of Famer Cam Heyward, who last year showed that he is still an elite player at age 36. Pittsburgh has paired him with a promising teammate rookie Derrick Harmon, who several times last week showed why the Steelers made him their first-round pick.
Pittsburgh has continuity at inside linebacker in starters Patrick Queen and Payton Wilson, who should be considerably better as he enters his second season. An underrated part of Pittsburgh’s defense is its depth at ILB with newcomer Malik Harrison and veteran Cole Holcomb, who is back after missing all of last year after suffering a nasty knee injury seven games into the 2023 season.
Watt headlines a talented group of outside linebackers that received an influx of talent via the draft in former Ohio State standout Jack Sawyer, who is relishing his chance to work alongside Watt and Alex Highsmith. Sawyer expects to make his own impact this season.
“At my position, pass rushing is a premium,” he said. “I got two great guys to learn from, and Nick Herbig, too. So I feel like I’m in a great spot. And, you know, I’m confident in the tools that I have in the pass rush. So I’m looking forward to learning as much as I can and and put my talents on display.”
While it has improved on every level, the thing that could make Pittsburgh’s defense a dominant one is its revamped secondary that recently added yet another new face in veteran safety Chuck Clark. The unit currently boasts six-time Pro Bowler Darius Slay, veteran up-and-comer Joey Porter Jr. and potential future Hall of Famer Jalen Ramsey, one of two players the Steelers acquired in the Minkah Fitzpatrick trade.
After that trade went down, the big question was where would Ramsey play? The answer is everywhere.
During the first week of camp, he lined up in Fitzpatrick’s old spot at free safety when Pittsburgh was in its base package. He moved into the slot when the Steelers went nickel. Ramsey blitzed often when he was in the slot, a likely foreshadowing of how Pittsburgh will intend to use him when the regular season begins.
Ramsey embracing his new role should pay major dividends for the Steelers defense. Honestly, it was hard not to notice him roaming throughout Pittsburgh’s defense last week. It was like watching a mix of Ed Reed, Troy Polamalu and Deion Sanders all at once.
Rodgers felt the wrath of Ramsey multiple times. One one play, Ramsey blitzed and Rodgers quickly turned to the other side of the field before throwing an ill-advised pass that led to an incompletion. During the end of Saturday’s practice, Rodgers rolled out and lofted a pass to Smith that Ramsey intercepted, starting the play in the slot before breaking on the pass.
Pittsburgh’s defense also includes starting strong safety DeShon Elliott, who penned an extension earlier this offseason. Along with his tangible skills, Elliott’s strength as a communicator was another reason why the Steelers wanted him back for the long haul. Improving communication on the back end (one of the main reasons for the unit’s struggles late last season) has been a focus ever since the 2024 season ended. It’s safe to say the defense has already made major strides in that regard.
Add it all up, and the Steelers look to have a defense capable of helping the team snap its playoff win drought. It should also be good enough to help make up for an offense still finding its way.
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Author: Bryan DeArdo
July 29, 2025 | 3:51 pm
