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The Case for the Pittsburgh Steelers in 2025

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September has arrived. Opening day against the Jets is days away. Once again, it’s time for Steel Curtain Rising’s annual, “The case for the Pittsburgh Steelers in 2025” column

A few years go I stated this tradition as memorial to my friend, the late, great Ivan Cole. Ivan would publish these columns annually for Behind the Steel Curtain, in the site’s golden age, and later for Rebecca Rollett’s Going Deep with the Steelers.

In penning these columns, I not only try to follow Ivan’s form but also attempt to find his voice. This has given me and hopefully readers a chance to continue to commune with this great Steelers scribe.

Aaron Rodgers, T.J. Watt, Steelers St. Vincents

T.J. Watt rushes Aaron Rodgers at St. Vincents. Photo Credit: Charles LeClaire-Imagn Images, via SI.com

Expectations: Keeping An Eventful Offseason in Context

As we dive in, let’s use Ivan’s own words to establish our level of expectation:

If you’re looking for yet another set of predictions in what is the season of predictions you will be sorely disappointed here. I don’t do predictions, don’t believe in them. I’m sure someone will hit the nail on the head as to how the [2025] season will unfold, and there will be a certain element of skill involved in their assessment, but there will probably be a lot of luck involved as well.
What I attempt to bring to the table are some observations as to how to think about what factors might be key to a positive outcome for the Steelers this season. Specifically, what has to happen (and what has to not happen) in order for the team to, hopefully, make it to the playoffs and have a shot at the world championship.

Any look forward at what’s come must be firmly grounded in and understanding of what has transpired in this eventful off season.

So let’s acknowledge the elephant in the room: The ending to the Steelers 2024 season, which featured 5 straight losses where Pittsburgh got progressively worse left a bitter taste in everyone’s mouth.

7 months later it’s obvious that no one suffered the bitter taste of bile worse than Art Rooney II, Mike Tomlin and Omar Khan. To a man, they promised change. And they’ve delivered.

Art Rooney II, Mike Tomlin, Omar Khan, Steelers training camp, St. Vincents

The Steelers Brain Trust @ St. Vincents. Photo Credit: Charles LeClaire-USA TODAY Sports, via Yahoo! Sports

Precise numbers will vary depending on which NFL personnel accounting method you choose, but when the Steelers take the field against the Jets you’ll see that they’ve replaced approximately half of their starters since last year. Deep deeper into the depth chart, and you’ll find even more new faces.

  • For some, these changes are already insufficient.

Ever since Ben Roethlisberger injured his elbow, a large contingent of both the fans and the press have called for “ripping off the Band-Aid” and rebuilding the franchise, from the roster to the coaching staff, from scratch. They’ll point to the franchise’s on-going playoff drought as self-evident justification.

To those naysayers I offer this simple factoid:

Since Chris Boswell booted the Steelers to their last victory on that frigid Kansas City night in the wanning days of the Obama administration, the Chicago Bears have drafted 3 quarterbacks in the first round – all of them taken in the top 11, employed 2 general managers and 5 head coaches and enjoyed one winning season.

More importantly, that “coveted” playoff win remains elusive for the Bears too.

Which team would you prefer to root for? I know my answer.

Rebooting on Offense

Quarterback unquestionably remains the most important position in football. Long gone are the days when we remember names like Jim Brown, Eric Dickerson and Barry Sanders without having an inkling as to who their quarterbacks were.

And in this regard the Steelers do deserve their share of criticism for their misfires during the post-Roethlisberger era. But South Side brain trust deserves credit that they’re seldom granted: Despite their errors, the Steelers have avoided squandering an excessive amounts of draft capital or salary cap space on the position.

Like many of you, I was not initially a fan seeing Rogers in Black and Gold. At all. But since he’s signed, he’s both said and done all the right things. We’ve all had cases where we’ve befriended someone who didn’t have the best reputation, and then explained, “…you know he’s not so bad once you get to know him.”

  • Thus far that seems to be the case for Steelers Nation and Aaron Rodgers.

The proof will come in what we see on the field. It is hard to say much about that now, given his absence in preseason, but at St. Vincents all indications are that Aaron Rodgers has something left in the tank.

Rudolph’s time in Pittsburgh has had more twists and turns, ups and downs than Kennywood’s Phantom’s Revenge. The fact that he was so willing to return I think speaks volumes not only to Rudolph’s character but also of the franchise’s.

We know that Rudolph is a capable number 2 who will respond if and when his name is called. Behind him we have newcomer Skylar Thompson. Everyone expected Thompson to be the odd man out when training camp started, but an injury to 6th round draft pick Will Howard opened the door.

And Thompson took advantage, as once again Mike Tomlin lived up to his credo that when you arrive in Pittsburgh its not about where you came from but what you do.

  • Quarterback isn’t the only skill position that saw Omar Khan aggressively renewed this off season.

At running back the Steelers wisely let Najee Harris walk, and have turned to Jaylen Warren who has shown himself to be a capable runner, a willing blocker and an under appreciated receiver.

Jaylen Warren, Marion Humphrey, Steelers vs Ravens

Jaylen Warren drags Marion Humphrey. Photo Credit: Chaz Palla, Tribune-Review

He also added found Kaleb Johnson in 2025 NFL Draft, based on what we saw in preseason, he should boost the running back’s room, with Super Bowl veteran Kenneth Gainwell rounding out the group.

At wide receiver, the Steelers embraced addition by subtraction by trading talented but troubled George Pickens to Dallas, while replacing him with D.K. Metcalf. To be honest, the Steelers depth behind Metcalf does constitute a risk, particularly if they suffer a serious injury, but last year Calvin Austin proved he’s a legitimate NFL wide receiver, and Roman Wilson had a strong summer after a lost rookie year.

At tight end the Steelers bolstered the depth behind Pat Freiermuth and Darnell Washington with veteran Jonnu Smith with Swiss Army Knife Connor Heyward rounding out the quartet.

But the most exciting thing about this offense isn’t the individual talent that’s been added, but the potential of what it can do together. When he was Mike Vrabel‘s offensive coordinator, Arthur Smith was described by Steel City Insider scribe Matt C. Steel has running a “Bill Cowher style offense.”

  • The 2024 Steelers offense didn’t fit that mold, but it also didn’t have the talent.

But with draft picks Troy Fautanu and Broderick Jones leading the way, don’t be surprised if the 2025 edition of the Steelers offense looks more like its 2005 ancestor than it does its immediate predecessor.

Daring to Be Different on Defense

Doubtlessly, the most disturbing aspect of the late-2025 collapse was the sight of a once-proud Steelers defense getting dominated. Patrick Mahomes humiliated  us through the air.  Lamar Jackson and Derrick Henry imposed their will on the ground.

We all saw that coming in the wake of the ridiculing the Ravens inflicted in the, right?

Of course we didn’t. Nor, frankly, did we see it coming during the heat of free agency or the 2025 NFL Draft. But it still happened, proving that Mike Tomlin is, in fact, willing to leave no stone unturned.

  • And its obvious that he has no a sacred cows in his locker room.

Raise your hand if you watched Donte Jackson last season and wondered, “What was it that Carolina didn’t like about him?” Mine’s raised. But when he couldn’t sustain his early and mid-season fireworks down the stretch, he was deemed expendable.

The lesson is clear: Just being “Good enough” is not sufficient. Beanie Bishop is another player who flashed in 2024 but is learning that lesson in 2025.

In response to the need for more sheer bulk upfront, the Steelers have double-dipped on the defensive line in the 2025 NFL Draft, bringing Derrick Harmon and Yahya Black to Pittsburgh. Injuries will limit Harmon early, but Black’s preseason resume suggest that we may be able to count on him early than would normally be expected of a 5th round pick.

Yahya Black, Bryce Perkins, Steelers vs Panthers Preseason

Yahya Black sacks Bryce Perkins. Photo Credit: AP via Tribune-Review

At outside linebacker the Steelers have future Hall of Famer T.J. Watt with Alex Highsmith bookending him on the other side. Behind them they have Nick Herbig who, with a strong third season could force a difficult decision next spring. Jack Sawyer arrives providing depth – and more bulk – to round out the quartet.

At inside linebacker, knock on wood, the Steelers finally appear to have a room that features 3 starter-capable players along with two quality backups. The Steelers last enjoyed this mix of quality and quality, experience and youth, in 2015 and 2016 – which were not uncoincidentally the last two seasons that included playoff wins.

Just Sayin….

The Future is Now. And Tomorrow

As detailed earlier on this site, watching the yin and yang of the discourse in Steelers Nation has been interesting to say the least. The conventional wisdom has swung from suggesting that the Steelers are executing a tank-lite strategy to declaring that the franchise is “All In.”

  • What’s exciting about 2025 is that neither of the two is true.

The Steelers, through deft use of the free agent market, drafting with an eye towards the long term and a duce of bold trades, have assembled a roster that is far better equipped to compete with the AFC titans like the Chiefs, Bills and Ravens.

But they’ve done so in a way that gives them ample salary cap space for heading into 2026 and a projected 11 or 12 picks in the 2026 NFL Draft. We’re seeing “The Steelers Way” evolve in real time, and that should have everyone excited.

Bring on the New York Jets!

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Steelers Trade George Pickens to the Cowboys – Buyer and Seller Beware

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The Pittsburgh Steelers are trading wide receiver George Pickens to the Dallas Cowboys in a move screams “Both Buyer and Seller Beware.” The Steelers send George Pickens and a 2027 6th round pick to Dallas, and in exchange the Cowboys send their 2026 3rd rounder and 2027th 5th rounder to Pittsburgh.

Since even before the 2024 season ended, speculation abounded as to whether the Steelers would move on from George Pickens.

Coming out of the NFL combine Steel City Insider’s Jim Wexell reported Pickens had soured his trade value in the league, and that a trade would be “next to impossible.”

Yet, prior to the draft, George Pickens reportedly deleted references to the Steelers from his social media accounts, and Omar Khan did field calls about a potential trade but could not get more than a 4th round pick.

With the draft over, Jerry Jones has increased his offer for the ultra-talented, mercurial wide receiver and brought him to Texas.

George Pickens, Nick Cross, Steelers vs Colts

George Pickens fumbles at the 5 yard line. Photo Credit: Chaz Palla, Tribune-Review

Steelers Exchange High Short-Term Risk for Long Term Value

George Pickens began tantalizing Steelers fans from the moment he stepped foot on Chuck Noll Field at St. Vincents College.

George Pickens, Steelers 2022 training camp, Cam Sutton

George Pickens making a catch on the first day @ St. Vincents. Photo Credit: Post-Gazette.com

In terms of pure pass-catching capability, Pickens is in the conversation with Lynn Swann and Antonio Brown.

  • Alas, Pickens mimicked Brown’s attitude issues. And then some.

For as unglued as Antonio Brown became in his final year in Pittsburgh, Brown’s self-centered disposition rarely, if ever, reared its head on the field.

  • The same cannot be said for George Pickens.

His immaturity was on display on the sidelines in the Steelers 2022 win over the Atlanta Falcons, prompting Cam Heyward to initiate a “heart-to-heart” on the sidelines. (Heyward, to his credit, said the young wide out simply needed a “Pick me up.”)

The antics continued through his second season, with Pickens declining to block for Jaylen Warren near the goal line, citing injury concerns. This is only the tip of the iceberg.

George Pickens, Noah Igbinoghene, Steelers vs Dolphins

George Pickens with another Lynn Swann like catch. Photo Credit: Yahoo! Sports

Pickens proved, time-and-time again, he could make belief defying catches.

Yet it was almost like he was bent on establishing a 1-1 relationship between those feats and team-destructive incidents, whether it was cutting off routes, showing up late, taking plays off, using his face paint to complain about lack of targets, getting into shoving matches with defensive backs in Hail Mary situations, or needing to be restrained from fighting with fans by Pat Freiermuth.

As he did with Kenny Pickett, Justin Fields and Russell Wilson, Omar Khan began the off season singing Pickett’s praises and talking about his plans to keep in in Pittsburgh.

  • Now Pickens is headed to Dallas.

In football realpolitik the Steelers got a steal. They weren’t going to resign him, they may not have gotten a good compensatory pick for him, and unhappiness over lack of a new contract could have been a season-long disruption.

If the Steelers get four compensatory picks for the 2026 NFL Draft, they’ll have 12 picks at their disposal.

But by playing the long game, Omar Khan has once again exposed the team to short-term risk.

Another Year of Longing for Lockett and Hill?

Last season the Steelers dealt problem child wide receiver Diontae Johnson. It was a wise move. Donte Jackson delivered solid play at cornerback while Johnson got himself cut three times.  However, Omar Khan never filled the gaping hole that Johnson’s departure left on the roster.

Dwight Stone, Dwight Stone Steelers career

Dwight Stone’s Steelers career ran from 1987 to 1994. Photo Credit: Amazon

Early in the season, this scribe opined that the lack of a number two wide out opposite Pickens was enough to make Gen X Steelers fans long for the days of Charles Lockett, Derek Hill and Dwight Stone.

The Steelers of course added D.K. Metcalf in the off season, and Calvin Austin improved noticeably last year, but outside of that they’ve got a wide receiver room filled with roster bubble players or unproven youth, such as Roman Wilson, with Robert Woods taking Van Jefferson’s place.

When the Steelers drafted Kaleb Johnson word was he excelled in running against stacked boxes at Iowa.

Good thing he’s already used to playing in Black and Gold, because he’s going to see plenty of other familiar sights in Pittsburgh. Seller be wear.

Now Jones and Schottenhimer to Try Their Hand

Steelers head coach Mike Tomlin stood behind George Pickens for as long as he could. He opted not to air his dirty laundry and instead focus trying to break through to Pickens.

  • At times it appeared to work.

After an awful game against the Colts in December 2023, no one would have criticized Tomlin if he just decided to bench Pickens for the rest of the year. Instead, Tomlin talked to him and Pickens exploded for two break out games on Christmas and New Years. He even showed up as a blocker in the season finale against the Ravens.

Yet, after two senseless personal foul penalties in the road win over the Bengals last year, Tomlin said it was time for Pickens to grow up.

  • Clearly, he feels he’s mentored Pickens as far as he can.

Now Brian Schottenheimer and Jerry Jones will launch a wide receiver reclamation project. Other head coaches have tried and failed with similar endavors with Steelerss cast offs such as Brown, Johnson, Martavis Bryant and Chase Claypool.

Buyer beware.

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Steelers Trade for D.K. Metcalf – Now Who Will Throw Him the Ball?

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He may have taken his time, but Omar Khan made the Steelers first major move of the 2025 free agent season, and he did so with a bang. The Pittsburgh Steelers have reached an agreement with the Seattle Seahawks to trade their 2025 second-round pick in exchange for wide receiver D.K. Metcalf.

D.K. Metcalf, Terrell Edmunds, Steelers vs Seahawks

D.K. Metcalf burns Terrell Edmunds for a touchdown. Photo Credit: Yahoo.com

The Steelers have been linked to via trade for Metcalf for close to a year, and now those rumors have come to fruition. With the trade comes a new contract for Metcalf, as the Steelers have tacked on 4 years to his existing 5-year deal, that will pay the wide receiver 150 million over the next five seasons.

  • The Steelers we expected to add a veteran wide receiver room this spring.

Omar Khan said as much at the 2025 NFL scouting combine when confirming that the Steelers wanted a quarterback under contract for the start of free agency as that would impact what wide receiver they signed.

The Steelers of course do not have a quarterback under contract, begging the question, “Just who is going to throw Metcalf the ball?”

The Steelers had hoped to sign either Justin Fields or Russell Wilson last week. Its been indicated that the Steelers did make an offer to Fields, but that Fields declined to accept, instead wanting to test the free agency waters. The conventional wisdom has been that the Steelers been unable to sign Fields, they’d rever to Wilson, who actively wishes to return.

However, multiple reports suggest that the Steelers plan to make an offer to free agent Sam Darnold, most recently of the Minnesota Vikings. The Steelers can begin formally negotiating with Darnold today, Monday March 10th, at noon.

Impact on Pickens?

Time and time again it was shown throughout the 2024 season that the wide receivers were the Steelers weakest link. George Pickens proved he was a legitimate NFL number 1 receiver, but the Steelers had nothing behind him save for Calvin Austin.

  • But Pickens has maturity issues.

These maturity issues have been evident since his rookie year, but have not been improving. That’s led some to suggest that the Steelers should be looking to off load Pickens this spring. Don’t expect that to happen in the wake of the D.K. Metcalf trade.

Yes, Kevin Colbert managed to get a third and 5th round pick for Antonio Brown and a third for Martavis Bryant. Omar Khan got a 2nd round pick for Chase Claypool and got Donte Jackson for Diontae Johnson.

But don’t expect the Steelers to reap a similar bonanza for George Pickens in the wake of the Metcalf trade. From the Steelers perspective, they still have a very thin depth chart at wide receiver.

And Pickens’ reputation precedes him in the NFL, making it highly likely the Steelers could get anything other than a day 3 pick in the 2025 NFL Draft.

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Does Cam Sutton’s Second Steelers Act Deserve an Encore?

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Once upon a time, the Pittsburgh Steelers didn’t do second acts.

When Rod Woodson and Eric Green discovered that the grass isn’t necessarily greener on the other side of free agency’s fence, both asked to return. Tom Donahoe derisively dismissed them explaining, “We’re not the Salvation Army.” Jerry Olsavsky got a similar cold shoulder when he wanted to come home.

  • Kevin Colbert brought a new attitude.

And with it, players like Orpheus Roye, Sean Spence, Myron Bell, Ainsley Battles, Matt Spaeth, Willie Williams, Larry Foote, Antwaan Randle El and James Harrison all returned to Pittsburgh for second acts with the Steelers.

Last spring, Cam Sutton became the first former player that Omar Khan welcomed back. Should Sutton’s second act get an encore?

Cam Sutton, Mark Andrews, Steelers vs Ravens, Ben Roethlisberger final regular season game

Cam Sutton intercepts a pass to Mark Andrews. Photo Credit: Ravens.com

Profile of Cam Sutton’s Steelers Career

The Steelers drafted Cam Sutton in the third round of the 2017 NFL Draft. In a moment that’s ironically coincidental to his current situation, Sutton saw his first action on December 4th, 2017.

  • For deep dives on Sutton’s first act with the Steelers see his 2021 and 2023 free agent profile.

The Steelers expected to resign Sutton, but the Detroit Lions offered him a far bigger number than Omar Khan was willing to match, so Sutton spent 2023 in the Motor City. There Sutton revealed that he probably wasn’t worth a CB No. 1 salary, but it was a domestic violence arrest led the Lions to cut him.

The Steelers did their own due-diligence and resigned Sutton, expecting a suspension. Sutton indeed was suspended for the first 8 games of the 2024 season, returning for the win over Washington.

Sutton played in 43% of the snaps during the rest of the season, with his statistical peek coming on the road against the Bengals, where he made 4 tackles and batted away 2 passes. Sutton’s participation topped out at 69, 72 and 82 percent of the snaps in the win at Cincinnati, the Christmas day loss to the Chiefs and the 2024 regular season finale home loss to the Bengals.

The Case for Resigning Cam Sutton

Cam Sutton is just turning 30, he has 110 games and 58 starts under his belt. Sutton has position flexibility, being able to play on the outside or in the slot as corner and can also work at safety. He knows the Steelers defensive system and can be signed on a team-friendly deal, if not for the league minimum.

The Case Against the Steelers Resigning Cam Sutton

On paper, the idea of bringing Cam Sutton back should have worked out brilliantly for the Steelers defense. The Steelers were getting a starter-capable cornerback, who knew their defense that would suddenly become available in the middle of the season when everyone else in the secondary was nursing their bumps and bruises.

  • Sound fishy? Then check out Bud Dupree’s impact after coming off the PUP list in late 2016.

Alas, it didn’t work out that way with Sutton. He saw his playing time increase during the final four games of the regular season, when injuries cost the Steelers the services of Joey Porter Jr., DeShon Elliott, and Donte Jackson.

  • The defense struggled in their absence.

Cam Sutton certainly doesn’t deserve to be a scapegoat for the defense’s late season meltdown. But clearly he wasn’t part of the solution either. With the emergence of Beanie Bishop and Cory Trice the Steelers can and should move on from Cam Sutton.

Curtain’s Call on the Steelers and Cam Sutton

Sutton’s first game of a Steelers came at Cincinnati, the night Ryan Shazier suffered his spinal contusion. That injury led to Sean Spence’s thoroughly disappointing second act with the Steelers.

  • The parallel between Spence and Sutton only goes so far.

The Steelers needed Spence to replace a player who formed a critical cog in their defense and Spence simply wasn’t good enough. Sutton was supposed to reinforce a secondary that was being rebuilt, end-to-end and he really didn’t add a lot.

The Steelers are likely to add a corner in free agency and in the 2025 NFL Draft. So Cam Sutton’s best shot at extending his second act in Pittsburgh would likely be to agree to play for the veteran minimum.

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Bring Him Back? Steelers Must Proceed with Caution on Donte Jackson

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There’s a reason why [INSERT TEAM NAME] so eagerly got rid of him….

Skeptical Steelers fans utter that phrase whenever the front office picks up a player for very little. They’re often right. The Steelers gave up next to nothing to bring Levi Brown and William Jackson to Pittsburgh but also got nothing in return.

But just because a team is willing to part ways with a player, doesn’t mean he’s bad.

The Steelers got him in exchange for Diontae Johnson, who managed to get cut 3 times during 2024. Once again, the Steelers benefited from another “Khan Artist” level trade.

But the question remains, has Donte Jackson done enough extend his stay in Pittsburgh?

Donte Jackson, Brock Bowers, Donte Jackson interception, Steelers vs Raiders

Donte Jackson intercepts a pass intended for Brock Bowers. Photo Credit: Stephen R. Sylvanie, Imagn via SI.com

Profile of Donte Jackson’s Steelers Career

Donte Jackson made an excellent first impression, hauling in the game-sealing interception in the Steelers opening day win over the Atlanta Falcons. He went on to start 15 games for the Steelers, missing the regular season loss to the Ravens and then the season finale against the Bengals.

Jackson proved to be a ball hawk for the Steelers, hauling in 5 interceptions and recovering a forced fumble in the snow. He also finished the season with 8 passes defensed, which is often a better measure of coverage skills. For comparison’s sake, Joey Porter Jr. had 7 this past year.

Per Pro Football Reference advanced stats, he allowed a 69.9 passer rating in 2024, a career best.

The Case for the Steelers Resigning Donte Jackson

For better and for worse, the Steelers defense is turnover driven. Jackson accounted for 6 turnovers in 2024. The Steelers have struggled to draft and develop cornerbacks and Jackson fits the mold of players they brought in from the outside.

Think of Jackson as Joe Haden lite.

Sure, Cory Trice looked good in late season action, but he’s got a ominous injury history and his NFL sample size is small. Behind Thrice there’s next to nothing.

The Case Against the Steelers Resigning Donte Jackson

The Steelers play in the AFC North, home to Lamar Jackson and Joe Burrow, two perennial NFL MVP contenders. There is literally no margin for error on defense when playing against either of these two signal callers.

Jackson certainly played well early in the season, but he faltered on the homestretch. Injuries likely contributed to that, but in the playoffs Lamar Jackson had a 158.8 passer rating against Jackson. Sure, that was only one pass, but it went for a touchdown.

  • The Steelers defense was exposed during the 5 game-losing streak.

With salary cap space to spare, the Steelers should use those dollars to bring in someone else to help them improve instead of staying on place by investing those to keeping Jackson in Pittsburgh.

Curtain’s Call on the Steelers and Donte Jackson

If Omar Khan’s comments from the scouting combine are any indication, the Steelers are certainly open to bringing Jackson back. And that’s a healthy attitude to take – provided they keep the Ahkello Witherspoon experiment in mind.

Kevin Colbert traded for Witherspoon on the eve of the 2021 opener. He sat out until week 10, and then preceded to haul in 3 interceptions and knock away 9 passes in 9 games, while allowing a jaw-dropping 35 passer rating.

They promptly resigned him. Alas, he only lasted 4 games into 2022, as Jalen Hurts torched him badly in the Steelers ’22 loss at Philly. He never saw the field again and got cut in the 2023 off season. Witherspoon rebounded with the Rams, but never approached the level he played at in late 2021.

Unlike Witherspoon, Donte Jackson has started for a full season for the Steelers and he’s done it as CB number 2. So they have a more “representative sample” as stats geeks would say.

  • But that sample indicates the Steelers must be smart.

With Joey Porter Jr., Beanie Bishop and Cory Trice, the Steelers have the beginnings of a foundation at cornerback. But they need another veteran starter-capable corner and they need to draft someone. Passer rating allowed is often a dubious metric, but Jackson’s history there has been up and down.

The wise move for the Steelers would be to target a veteran cornerback and revert to resigning Jackson as a fallback move.

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Steelers Report Card for 2024 Season – Tired of Grading Edition

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Taken from the grade book of a teacher who is tired of grading, here is the Pittsburgh Steelers Report Card for the 2024 season.

Russell Wilson, Steelers vs Chiefs, Chiefs sack Russell Wilson

Russell Wilson is sacked. Photo Credit: Chaz Palla, Tribune-Review

Quarterbacks
Justin Fields started in led the Steelers to a 4-2 record. He legs proved to be as much if not more of a weapon than his arm. Which is OK, he largely did what the Steelers asked him to do. Russell Wilson took over a 4-2 team and was cooking by the time the team reached 10-3 before the meat girder portion of their schedule. There Russ faltered a bit, but mainly because he tried to do too much. If there’s one player who “left it all on the field” in the playoff debacle against Baltimore, it was Wilson. The Steelers had winning quarterback play in 2024. Grade: BSteelers, Report Card, grades,

Running Backs
Najee Harris logged his 4th consecutive 1000 yard season, earn his best rushing average. Jaylen Warren had 511 yards and an even better average. Don’t look now, but Cordarrelle Patterson actually had a better average than both of them. And yet, for all of those numbers, the whole of the Steelers rushing game was still less than the sum of its parts. Too often “Sludge Ball” on 1st and 2nd down resulted in 3rd and 8s. The running backs did a respectable job in catching passes, but were never true weapons. The running rarely establish a rhythm. That’s not all on the backs, but the Steelers needed more. Grade: C-

Tight Ends
Pat Freiermuth was easily the offense’s most reliable player, catching 65 passes for 653 yards and 7 touchdowns. Darnell Washington caught 19 passes for 200 yards, but never emerged as a consistent threat. MyCole Pruitt didn’t add much and Connor Heyward seemed to be the odd man out. Pat Freiermuth lifts the group grade, but the Steelers needed more from the tight ends in 2024. Grade: B-

Wide Receivers
George Pickens displayed his incredible athletic talent on the field on several occasions, but his immaturity with pointless penalties cost the team on many others. And his production dropped year-by-year. Calvin Austin had a nice second season and flashed playmaking potential at times, but he wasn’t able to do so consistently. Van Jefferson showed he might have it to be an NFL WR No. 4 or maybe even a No. 3. But he’s no No. 2. Mike Williams flashed at times, but wasn’t able to pick up the slack when Pickens was out. Ben Skowronek only saw spot duty, but he did quite well there. Scotty Miller was a non-factor. The Steelers clearly didn’t have the wide outs needed for a playoff run, let alone a championship run. Grade: D

Offensive Line
Injuries scrambled the line’s continuity early in the year, and it showed. By mid-season the line appeared to be making progress – then things fell apart as the weather got cold, rookie walls got hit, and from there on out “Sludge Ball” and sacks characterized the line play. Given the investment of free agent dollars an draft picks, this was a failing performance. Grade: F

Defensive Line
Cam Heyward bounced back after an injury plagued 2023. He was not only the best player on the line, if there is any football justice in the world, Heyward should have punched his card to Canton. His 8 sacks, 11 passes defensed an 12 tackles for losses don’t do justice to the ass kicker he was. Keeanu Benton had his moments, but really didn’t make second year leap, and Larry Ogunjobi likely set himelf up to be a cap casualty. Grade: B-

T.J. Watt, Joe Burrow, T.J. Watt strip sack Joe Burrow, Steelers vs Bengals

T.J. Watt strip sacks Joe Burrow. Photo Credit: X.com

Linebackers
T.J. Watt was voted team MVP, and he did some through with several splash plays that swung or sealed games. Yet, he was hot and cold and not effective late in the year. Alex Highsmith had a strong year over coming injury, and Nick Herbig made things happen. Rookie Peyton Wilson shown at times, but also appears to have it the “rookie wall.” Patrick Queen led the unit in tackles, while Elandon Roberts proved himself to be a “tooth chipper.” Grade: B

Secondary
Joey Porter Jr. had some sophomore struggles and must learn to avoid costly penalties. Donte Jackson had 5 interceptions, although if Pro Football Focus ratings are to be believed – and perhaps they are not, he struggled in coverage. Minkah Fitzpatrick led the team in tackles, but the big play “Minkah Magic” was missing. Beanie Bishop looks to be like a nice find as an undrafted rookie free agent. The secondary had a solid year in at lot of ways, but it faltered against elite QB’s down the stretch. Grade: C-

Special Teams
Chris Boswell had a otherworldly season, accounting for all of the team’s scoring in two games. Corliss Waitman started the year strong in relief of injured Cameron Johnston, but his performance leveled off as the trees grew bare. The Steelers punt coverage was strong, kick return coverage could have been better. The Steelers got little out of their kick return game, but Calvin Austin did a fair job as a returner. And the Steelers had several blocks early in the season. Grade: B

Coaching
Where to start?

Arthur Smith had his hands full – his offensive line was injured early and often, he never got a legit WR No. 2, and his starting quarterback was out for the first six weeks. Yet he found ways to make things work for the bulk of the season’s first 13 weeks.

But his offensive line began to falter at the same moment that he lost his starting wide receiver, and the unit struggled through December football.

Teryl Austin’s followed a similar arc. It might not have dominated during the season’s first 13 weeks, but the only truly worrisome performance came in the loss to Dallas, and he rectified that in short order. The defense was able to produce turnovers, and succeeded in making Lamar Jackson and Derrick Henry look human when they came to Acrisure.

But the brutal reality is that his defense went into 5-star matchups on Christmas against the Chiefs and in the playoffs against Baltimore at full health and came up Choto on both occasions. (Choto is Argentine slang for coming up short – it carries both practical and anatomical implications.)

Arthur Smith, Mike Tomlin, Steelers vs Browns, Steelers vs Browns snow

Arthur Smith confers with Mike Tomlin. Photo Credit: Chaz Palla, Tribune-Review

And finally, that brings us to Mike Tomlin.

Dispassionate analysts who focus on calling things as they see them as opposed to catering to angry fans to generate clicks, have argued that a sober analysis of this roster shows it to be an 8 or 9 win team. In that light, Tomlin should be credited for bringing out the best in what is a middle-of-the-road roster.

That may be true.

But here is something else that is true: In 2023 the Steelers finished 10-7 with weaker quarterback play, and were within a touchdown of trying the Buffalo Bills with 10:32 remaining in the 4th quarter in the playoffs. In 2024 they finished 10-7 and then Baltimore Ravens ridiculed them in the playoffs.

The objective of the Pittsburgh Steelers football club is to win a Super Bowl, and the franchise regressed in 2024. And that is on Mike Tomlin. Grade: F

Front Office
It is tempting to point a finger at the front offense for the failure of the line to step up, but the unit is young.

And clearly, Omar Khan executed addition by subtraction by dealing Diontae Johnson for Donte Jackson. Nonetheless, no “Khan Artist” plan to land a true number 2 wideout ever materialized. And that clearly hurt the offense, if for no other reason than it allowed defenses to crowd the box.

Deshon Elliott, Minkah Fitzpatrick, Steelers vs Colts

DeShon Elliot. Photo Credit: Steelers.com

The defense did not deliver on bang for its salary cap buck, but the only major contract given on that side of the ball this off season was to Patrick Queen, who played pretty well. Grade: C

Unsung Hero Award
Fans have always salivated over free agent signings, in large part because the Steelers seldom make big ticket moves. The ones that the franchise has historically excelled at are the under the radar ones. And this year the Steelers made one in the secondary, and his number seemed to show up on the field where ever it was needed and for that DeShon Elloitt wins the Unsung Hero Award for the Steelers 2024 season.

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Steelers Report Card for Win over Bengals: Cooking in the Kitchen Edition

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Taken from the grade book of a teacher pleased to see his students cooking in the kitchen, here is the Pittsburgh Steelers Report Card for the win over the Bengals a Paycor Stadium.

T.J. Watt, Joe Burrow, T.J. Watt strip sack Joe Burrow, Steelers vs Bengals

T.J. Watt strip sacks Joe Burrow. Photo Credit: X.com

Quarterbacks
Russell Wilson was 29 of 23 for 414 yards 3 touchdowns and 1 interception. But those numbers don’t do him justice, as he spread the ball to 10 receivers across the entire field. More importantly, he maintained control in the huddle, sidelines, at the line of scrimmage and in the pocket. Justin Fields ran once, and he made it count. Grade: ASteelers, Report Card, grades,

Running Backs
Najee Harris bounced back from a tough game, running for a touchdown, 75 yards on 16 carries and doing damage through the air with 6 catches for 54 yards. Jaylen Warren had a quiet day running for 9 yards on three carries, but he caught 4 passes for 55 yards. Cordarrelle Patterson had 3 runs for 16 yards and 3 catches for 27 yards. A good day for the running backs. Grade: B

Tight Ends
Pat Freiermuth caught 6 passes for 68 yards and a touchdown. Darnell Washington had 1 catch for 10 yards but threw a decisive block on Harris’ touchdown. MyCole Pruitt caught 2 passes for 21 yards. Grade: A-

Wide Receivers
George Pickens had 3 catches for 75 yards and a touchdown, but his penalties hurt the team. Van Jefferson had one catch for 43 yards that probably should have been a touchdown. Calvin Austin did haul in his own touchdown and made another big catch for 2 grabs and 29 yards. Ben Skowronek had one catch for 23 yards, but it was a big one. Pickens’ penalties drop the grade for this group. Grade: B+

Offensive Line
This was the offensive line we’ve been waiting to see. After getting manhandled by Cleveland, the line turned in its best performance of the season. Russell Wilson was only sacked twice and the Browns only had two tackles for losses. Dan Moore bounced back too, neutralizing Trey Hendrickson. Grade: A

Defensive Line
Keeanu Benton’s single tackle doesn’t do justice to the game he played as his number was visible on several key play including a sack. Larry Ogunjobi had 1 tackle. The line did give up some rushing yards early, but that was not a factor as the game evolved. Grade: B

Linebackers
T.J. Watt dominated, with a strip sack that set up a score and another sack on third down the forced a field goal. Nick Herbig had a strip sack of his own, which Payton Wilson returned for a touchdown. Patrick Queen had nine tackles, and Preston Smith made a heads up fumble recovery after Wilson couldn’t hold on to the fumble that Watt forced. Grade: A

Secondary
Donte Jackson logged yet another heads up interception on a tipped pass, which had he not lost his footing, probably would have taken to the house. DeShon Elliott led the unit in tackles, while Cam Sutton quietly tipped away 2 passes. Joey Porter Jr. kept Tee Higgins in check, but his pass interference penalties award the Bengals premium field position far too often. Grade: B-

Secondary
Danny Smith’s special teams gave up a blocked kick which fortunately wasn’t decisive, but it could have been. The Steelers kick return coverage was also a bit below average. However, Chris Boswell was money on his two clean attempts, and Connor Heyward recovered the on sides kick. Corliss Waitman one punt for 38 yards might not look like much, but he pinned the Bengals down. Grade: C

Coaching
Be honest, if someone told you before the game that the Steelers third offensive play from scrimmage would be a pick six you’d have thought that signaled disaster, right?

As it turns out, Arthur Smith’s offense was able to stand toe-to-toe with Joe Burrow and company and come out on the winning side. He opened out the game book and literally got everyone involved the and the results were tremendous.

  • Teryl Austin’s defense didn’t have quite as good of a day.

They gave up a lot of yards and Cincinnati’s final touchdown was far too easy. Still, the defense forced three turnovers and sacked the Bengals into a field goal. And the two three and outs they forced to bookend the first half should not be overlooked.

Cameron Heyward, Cam Heyward, Cam Heyward sack Joe Burrow, Steelers vs Bengals

Cam Heyward sacks Joe Burrow. Photo Credit: Chaz Palla, Tribune-Review

The loss to the Browns was disappointing. Losses like that can often be deflating. Mike Tomlin however did not let the happen. The Steelers came out focused and remained that way through to the end. Grade: A-

Unsung Hero Award
The ESPN highlight reels of the Steelers defense will feature T.J. Watt, Nick Herbig and Payton Wilson as they should. But it is no coincidence that those big running plays the Bengals enjoyed happened while this player was on the bench. When he wasn’t on the bench he was sacking Joe Burrow, slamming Chase Brown for a loss at the goal line or just tipping a pass that got intercepted and for that Cam Heyward wins the Unsung Hero Award for the Steelers 2024 win over the Bengals at Paycor Stadium.

 

 

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Russ Cooks! Steelers Beat Bengals 44-38 as Russell Wilson Throws 3 Touchdowns

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The Pittsburgh Steelers defeated the Cincinnati Bengals 44-38 at Paycor Stadium with an offensive explosion that saw their highest point total in 7 years, improved their record to 9-3 and strengthened their lead in the AFC North.

During the game, CBS commentators Ian Eagle and Charles Davis repeatedly cited the Steelers success in Cincinnati. While Pittsburgh has played well in the Queen City, the Steelers were coming off of an AFC North loss and Paycor/Paul Brown Stadium has been the scene of unsettling slips up for the men in Black and Gold:

Mike Tomlin rightly proclaims that Sunday’s win is indicative of a “total team effort.” But the key reason the Steelers won is simple: They let Russ cook, and Wilson proved to be a master chef.

Russell Wilson, Steelers vs Bengals

Russell Wilson cooking. Photo Credit: Karl Roser, Steelers.com

Russ Can Cook

Russell Wilson threw 38 passes, completing 29 of those for 414 yards with 3 touchdowns and one interception. It was the second-highest yardage total of his career and the first time he’s broken the 400-yard mark since 2019.

  • Yet those statistics, if anything, mask just how well he has played.

Since his first start against the Jets, Russell Wilson proved that his patented “moonball” remains a lethal threat. But against the Bengals on Sunday, Wilson demonstrated that he’s anything about a one-dimensional passer:

Calvin Austin, Steelers vs Bengals

Calvin Austin scores. Photo Credit: Chaz Palla, Tribune-Review

Moreover, Wilson showed himself as a quarterback willing and able to use the middle of the field. He bailed out on bad situations a number of times and only took two sacks, one of which had negligible impact.

While Wilson put up some impressive stats, those numbers don’t offer a true measure of his performance.

From start to finish, Russell Wilson played as a quarterback in control of his offense. Three plays into the Steelers first possession, Wilson threw a pick six.

  • IT didn’t phase him in the slightest.

Wilson responded by directing a flawless, 70-yard drive that ended with George Pickens touchdown. Throughout the game, Wilson acted as a general on the battlefield, making adjustments at the line of scrimmage, shifting protections and calling audibles with ease.

Wilson won 2024 Steeler Thanksgiving Honors because of how he melded talent with leadership, and the win over the Bengals offers yet another example.

Arthur Smith Solves for X, at Least for a Week

Nine days ago after the loss to the Browns, the takeaway was that the Steelers offense was less than the sum of its parts. The “X” factor was hard to decipher, as the Steelers overall posted some strong offensive numbers.

  • And offensive coordinator Arthur Smith was charged with solving for X.
Justin Fields, Steelers vs Bengals

Justin Fields slides to seal the win. Photo Credit: Chaz Palla, Tribune-Review

A single stat reveals that, for one week at least, he solved the equation: 12:50 in the 4th quarter.

That was the first, and only, time that Corliss Waitman step on the field to punt. Smith’s offense also logged a slight but meaningful edge in time of possession. And they earned that edge despite passing more than running.

But they were able to run effectively when they needed to, using all three running backs, and Smith deployed Justin Fields at just the right time.

Splash Plays Shouldn’t Overshadow Key Stops by Defense

Teryl Austin’s defense had its ups and downs. Early in the game the Bengals gouged the Steelers for a few long runs including a touchdown. But Austin made his adjustment, and the running threat was not a factor for Cincinnati following that.

Nick Herbig, Steelers vs Bengals

Nick Herbig strip sacks Joe Burrow. Photo Credit: Chaz Palla, Tribune-Review

They also let the Bengals back in the game with a touchdown drive that only took 5 plays and a minute 1:14 late in the 4th quarter. And Joey Porter Jr. gifted the Bengals premium field position with alarming regularity.

But the Steelers defense showed that it can continue to make game-changing plays:

  • T.J. Watt strip-sacked Joe Burrow with just 4:46 left in the first half.
  • Watt later sacked Burrow on 3rd and 6 at Pittsburgh’s 11, forcing a field goal
  • Cam Heyward tipped a ball which Donte Jackson intercepted at midfield.
  • Nick Herbig strip-sacked Burrow with Payton Wilson returning it for a touchdown

The Steelers needed each of those splash plays. Wilson led the Steelers to a Chris Boswell field goal following the first strip-sack and the Payton Wilson fumble return for a touchdown negated the Bengals’ own defensive score.

Don’t be fooled by Cincinnati’s 4-8 record – they have one of the NFL’s most potent offenses. The Bengals only punted twice. But those punts book-ended their first-half possessions, and forcing those twin three and outs was as much of a difference maker as were the splash plays.

Win Sharpens Steelers as Road Gets Tougher

The win assures Mike Tomlin and the Steelers of their 18th consecutive non-losing season and leaves them alone atop the AFC North thanks to Philadelphia’s win over Baltimore.

But with rematches against the Browns, Ravens and Bengals, looming, a trip to Philadelphia where they have not won since Lyndon Johnson was president and Mike Nixon was coach, and a Christmas day game against Kansas City, the road only gets tougher.

When asked for his feelings about where the Steelers stand today T.J. Watt replied, “It feels good, but there’s a lot more work to be done.”

That’s exactly the attitude the Steelers must take out of this game.

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Snowed Out! Browns Beat Steelers 24-19 @ Huntington Bank Stadium

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The Pittsburgh Steelers, riding a 5-game winning streak, went to Huntington Bank Field and promptly dropped a 24-19 decision to the then 2-8 Cleveland Browns.

Instead of cementing their lead in the AFC North, the Steelers now cling to a ½ game advantage over the Baltimore Ravens.

  • So what do we make of this mess?

Three things come to mind: Playing Thursday Night Football on the road sucks, you have to hate playing in Cleveland, and, most consequentially, every play counts in the NFL.

 

Russell Wilson, Steelers vs Browns, Steelers vs Browns snow

Russell Wilson hit with a high snap. Photo Credit: Chaz Palla, Tribune-Review

Mistake by the Lake = A Miserable Stage for Pittsburgh to Play

Comparisons between an NFL game and a theater performance breakdown fast. But they do provide one useful parallel: In theater, the actors’ work defines the quality of the production, but the stage they play on colors their performance.

The Pittsburgh Steelers lost at Huntington Bank Field because the Cleveland Browns played better.

  • But it is hard not to note the stage they were playing on.

Thursday Night Football is bad idea. Sure. Special event games like Thanksgiving and season openers are fine. An occasional sprinkling of Thursday Nighters during the rest of the regular season is maybe OK. Maybe.

But requiring every NFL Team to turn around and play a Thur$day Night Game game on three day$ rest highlight$ the NFL’$ $ingular focu$ on the player’$ $afety.

Playing on Thursday amplifies home team advantage (“they” say that trend has softened lately; so be it, the overall tendency is clear.) Home teams don’t collect get-out-of-jail-free cards – see last year’s Thursday Night debacle at Acrisure against the Patriots.

  • But the Thursday Night home field advantage is real.

And even more real when the Steelers play the Browns in Cleveland on Thursday Night. In 2009, the Browns humiliated the defending Super Bowl Champions. In 2019, the Browns gave the Steelers their own “Body Bag Game” – people forget but Pittsburgh lost 5 players and 3 starters to injury before Myles Garrett assaulted Mason Rudolph.

And, as Bob Labriola lamented long ago in the Steelers Digest, when it comes to Cleveland you gotta hate place.

Cleveland’s the place where cars with Pennsylvania license plates were lucky not to find their tires slashed after games in the 60’s and 70’s. This is the venue where, in 1988, Hall of Famer Mike Webster once blew not one, but two snaps to punter Harry Newsome – and one he did get off correctly got blocked.

Oh, and can we again mention 1991, where a ball got deflected only to land on Leroy Hoard’s chest who’d been decked and was lying in the end zone? (Video courtesy of Steel City Star.)

Or maybe we’ll just talk about 2024, where on his first trip to the Mistake by the Lake young punter who has been quietly been an unsung hero of the season shanks a 12 yard punt at the absolute worst moment? Yeah, Labroila’s right — you gotta hate the place.

Slow Starts Finally Bite the Steelers in the Butt

Afterwards, Mike Tomlin delivered the loss’ autopsy in 39 words:

Particularly early on I thought it took us too long to warm up to the action. We were penalized, some pre-snap penalties. Just weren’t really sharp. We got going. Our guys fought, but it wasn’t enough to secure victory.

Although they’ve been better in recent weeks, the 2024 Steelers have been notoriously slow starters. That hasn’t mattered because the Steelers have overwhelmed opponents in the second halves of games.

The Steelers outscored the Browns 16-14 in the second half, including shutting them out in the third quarter and dominating them 3-0 in the turnover battle. None of that mattered because the Browns took a 10-3 lead into halftime thanks to opportunities the Steelers squandered.

  • Chris Boswell missed a 58 yard field goal Tomlin probably shouldn’t have had him try
  • Justin Fields failed to convert a 4th and 2
  • After a 46-yard Russell Wilson to Calvin Austin moonball, the Steelers settled for a field goal
  • Myles Garrett strip-sacked Russell Wilson with 3:19 remaining in the first half

The Steelers defense forced punts after the missed field goal and failed 4th down conversion attempt. But the Browns answered the Steelers successful field goal with a touchdown drive of their own, and transformed Garrett’s turnover into a field goal while bleeding all but 40 seconds off of the clock.

Arthur Smith: In Search of Consistency

After scoring 4 touchdowns in the win over the Washington Commanders, Arthur Smith’s offense went seven quarters without touching the end zone again.

Then in the 4th quarter, Jaylen Warren stormed into the end zone to answer a Browns touchdown. Two plays later, Nick Herbig strip-sacked Jameis Winston and Deshon Elliott’s recovery. It only took 3 plays for Russell Wilson to hit Calvin Austin with a phenomenal 23 yard strike in the end zone to put the Steelers ahead.

  • In under two minutes, the Steelers offense had scored two touchdowns – in the Red Zone no less.

Five plays later, Donte Jackson intercepted Winston with just over 4 minutes remaining.
Pittsburgh, seemed was primed to put Cleveland away for good….

Arthur Smith, Mike Tomlin, Steelers vs Browns, Steelers vs Browns snow

Arthur Smith confers with Mike Tomlin. Photo Credit: Chaz Palla, Tribune-Review

…All they needed was one first down. All they got was six yards on two Najee Harris runs and a way off target deep shot from Justin Fields to George Pickens, followed by a 12-yard Corliss Waitman punt.

Talk about a Tale of Two Offenses. A glance at the stat sheet shows just how misleading NFL numbers can be sometimes:

  • Russell Wilson was 21 of 28 for no picks one touchdown and 116.7 passer rating
  • Wilson completed “moonballs” to Austin, Pickens and even Van Jefferson
  • Jaylen Warren ran strong and a Justin Fields 30-yard run sparked the offense
  • Pat Freiermuth and Darnell Washington caught 8 passes for nearly 75 yards between them

Yet for all of those fancy facts and figures, the Steelers offense was ineffective outside of the two touchdown drives. The offensive line got manhandled. The Steelers couldn’t convert in short yardage. Sure, Justin Fields’s 30-yard run jump-started the first touchdown drive, but Fields didn’t have the “Slash” effect a la Kordell Stewart in 1995.

My friend Matt C. Steel has argued on Steel City Insider that overreliance on the shotgun is sabotaging this offense. Matt has forgotten more X’s and O’s than I’ll ever know. And Wilson did start in the shotgun on 3 of his 4 sacks. But on the strip-sack he started under center. He also made several highlight-ready passes out of the shotgun.

  • The 2024 Pittsburgh Steelers lack the talent to field a “great” offense.

But right now the whole of the Steelers offense is smaller than the sum of its parts. I don’t have the solution to this equation. But Arthur Smith must solve for “X” and do it quickly.

A Word on the What IF’s

Would the Steelers have been better off just letting Nick Chubb score to save time?* Should Tomlin have used a timeout? Should Tomlin have accepted or declined the penalty?

  • There may be “right” and “wrong” answers to those questions.

But those answers are irrelevant. If the Steelers defense delivers after Tomlin makes any one of those decisions, the questions are moot.

It’s like asking “What happens if Waitman booms off his final punt as he has all season instead of shanking it?” The Steelers probably win. But we’ll never know.

That’s not to scapegoat Waitman – he doesn’t deserve it – it simply drives home the reality that fortunes in the NFL shift on a dime.

*OK, that makes logical sense in the abstract. But when does a Pittsburgh Steelers defense just yield at the goal line?

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Trading Places! Steelers Trade for WR Mike Williams and OLB Preston Smith

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The NFL trading deadline arrived and as expected Omar Khan moved. Everyone expected his first move, but no one saw the second coming.

As had been rumored for weeks, the Pittsburgh Steelers traded for Mike Williams of the New York Jets, sending their 5th round pick from the 2025 NFL Draft in exchange. However, they also traded for Preston Smith, and outside linebacker from the Packers, sending Green Bay a 7th round pick from 2025.

Let’s take a look at the moves.

Mike Williams, DeShon Elliot, Steelers vs Jets

Mike Williams makes a catch against his future team. Photo Credit: AP via Tribune-Review

Steelers Finally Add to their Wide Receiver Room

Rumors of a big move at wide receiver have been pending in Pittsburgh since the Steelers traded Diontae Johnson to the Carolina Panthers in exchange for Donte Jackson. The move never materialized, although the Steelers did come close to a deal for Brandon Aiyuk.

The Steelers were also interested in several other wide receivers, some of whom got traded to other teams, others got injured.

But for weeks Mike Williams has been the center of speculation, with reports that the Steelers were in active negotiations with the Jets that got put on hold before the Jets Sunday Night game against the Steelers.

Mike Williams stands at 6-foot-4, and weighs 218 pounds and his resume includes a tandem of 1,000-yard seasons in 2019 and ’21, and has authored 13 100-yard games since being drafted as the 7th overall pick for the then San Diego Chargers in the 2017 NFL Draft.

Although Williams logged 309 catches for 4,806 yards and 31 touchdowns with the Chargers, they let him go in free agency. The Steelers showed interest, but he opted to ink a one-year, $10 million contract with the Jets.

However, he is coming off of a torn ACL suffered in he 3rd week of in 2023 and he only managed to snag 12 catches for 166 yards from the Jets, which includes one catch on two targets for 15 yards during the Jets in a 37-15 loss to the Steelers.

In four career games against the Steelers, Mike Williams has 14 catches for 236 yards and one touchdown and is 2-2 against his new team.

Is Williams Worth the Price?

If a 5th round pick for a 9-game rental for a player that has just 12 catches sounds like a high price to pay for a wide receiver, that’s because it is.

  • But the cost was likely necessary.

George Pickens is playing well, and with Russell Wilson at quarterback, Van Jefferson and Calvin Austin have seen their roles in the offense increase. But no one should be fool: The Steelers are and have been an injury to George Pickens away from lining up Najee Harris, Jaylen Warren and Connor Heyward in the Wishbone.

Now Mike Williams may not be “starter capable” at this point in his career/recovery, but with rookie Payton Wilson on injured reserve, the Steelers can’t realistically find help at wide receiver elsewhere.

Williams does give Wilson another target who is good at catching 50/50 balls, and that should help loosen up the offense for the other wide outs as well as Pat Freiermuth and Darnell Washington.

Preston Smith Unexpected, but Welcome

The Steelers decision to bring in an additional outside linebacker might strike you as a surprise, but perhaps it shouldn’t. If memory serves, it was late in the game vs the Giants, perhaps before he authored his game-sealing strip sack, cameras panned to show a obviously winded T.J. Watt on the sidelines.

Anyone who knows Watt understand that he would not be out at such a critical moment if he didn’t need to be. Watt has played over 91% of the snaps, in large part because both Alex Highsmith and Nick Herbig have been injured for much of the year.

With DeMarvin Leal out, the Steelers were forced to start 5th string outside linebacker Jeremiah Moon in their absence.

While Highsmith returned to great effect against New York and Herbig is expected back this week, the Steelers are adding depth at a critical position and hopefully bringing in a player who can help T.J. Watt pace himself.

Preston Smith brings a resume with 138 career starts for both Washington and Green Bay to Pittsburgh, and he started every game in eight of his 10 seasons. Smith actually started all nine games for the Packers in 2024 and has recorded 2 1/2 sacks, landed four quarterback hits and made 19 tackles, including two tackles for losses.

To make room for the additions, the Steelers waived tight end and special teams standout Rodney Williams.

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