Tim Benz: Going position by position to see if the Steelers will be better in 2025

As the 2025 Pittsburgh Steelers report to training camp Wednesday, my preliminary belief is they won’t surpass last year’s record of 10-7. In fact, my initial prediction is that they’ll probably be 9-8, and this may even end up being the year they finish with a losing record for the first time since 2003.

The thing is, as I look at each position group individually, I begin to doubt my instincts.

Let’s do that exercise together. Let’s go position-by-position and attempt to determine whether the Steelers will be better, worse, or the same as they were in 2024.

DEFENSE

Cornerback: Better

If they aren’t better at this spot, it’s a problem.

The Steelers loaded up at the position in the offseason after Donte Jackson was allowed to leave in free agency following a second half that featured injuries and a dip in play.

General manager Omar Khan traded for Jalen Ramsey, signed Darius Slay and Brandin Echols, and drafted Donte Kent. Beanie Bishop is in Year 2, and Cory Trice may be back from injury (for now).

All that before mentioning that Joey Porter Jr. vacillated between stagnating and regressing in his second season. Tracking his potential return to promise in Year 3 might be the most important aspect of anyone at this position.

Safety: Worse

If Ramsey plays most of his snaps at safety and plays them better than Minkah Fitzpatrick, then that changes the calculus. But that’s a big ask for a natural corner, and let’s see what the game plan is on that front in the first place.

Meanwhile, DeShon Elliott was quite good in his first year as a Steeler. I see no reason to expect a drop in performance from him. The problem becomes if Ramsey doesn’t end up playing a ton of safety and Juan Thornhill does. That doesn’t strike me as an adequate replacement for Fitzpatrick.

Thornhill was initially brought in to simply be better than Damontae Kazee. Let’s see him do that first before thinking he’s Fitzpatrick’s replacement.

Hopefully, that person isn’t even on the roster yet.

Linebacker: The same

Most of you are probably screaming, “No! Much better!”

I simply can’t go there based on what I saw from T.J. Watt at the end of last year. Sure, if he is as dominant as he was throughout 2021 or 2023, then I’d have a different opinion. But that’s not the guy I saw at the end of ‘24.

Last year we saw a Pro Bowler, not the future Hall of Famer he has been the past few seasons. His new contract doesn’t change that.

Yes, rookie Jack Sawyer provides intriguing depth like Nick Herbig does. So that’s better. Alex Highsmith is the same. I hope Patrick Queen is better than his so-so first season in Black and Gold (regardless of what his NFL Top 100 vote may say).

At ILB, Cole Holcomb may be back. That could help. I’m not driving the hype train like many others are for Payton Wilson just yet. Plus, while I wasn’t as in love with Elandon Roberts as most Pittsburgh media members were, I do think he was better than Malik Harrison.

Again, all this washes itself out. Watt is the X-factor. If he stays healthy, and he and the coaches can come up with creative ways to finally move him around to get away from chips and double teams, then, sure, we’ll see the linebacker spot improve tremendously.

Defensive line: Better

It has to be, doesn’t it? The first-round pick was a D-lineman in Derrick Harmon. He’ll replace a declining Larry Ogunjobi. It’s time for Keeanu Benton’s production to match his potential. And Cam Heyward is Cam Heyward.

Although one year we are going to say that and finally be wrong.

After them, rookie Yahya Black and free agent Daniel Ekuale may at least add better quality depth than they had last year.

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OFFENSE

Offensive line: Better

The tackle play should be better if Troy Fautanu is healthy and Broderick Jones readjusts to left tackle smoothly. Zach Frazier and Mason McCormick should improve upon the relatively high floor they set for themselves as rookies who got a lot of action last year. And Isaac Seumalo probably has at least one more good year in him at guard.

As I’ve previously written, though, if I’m wrong on one or two of those theories, the 2025 season is shot before it begins.

Running backs: Better

But not by as much as you think. Kenneth Gainwell makes them slightly better if for no other reason than they can turn to him before Cordarrelle Patterson. Jaylen Warren is a good No. 2 back. Let’s see if he gets over-exposed as a starter or a “1-B.”

I like the pick of Kaleb Johnson. Let’s see how much the Steelers put on his plate in Year 1, though. For as much as everyone wanted to ride Najee Harris out of town, it is a tough ask of Johnson to presume 1,326 yards from scrimmage and six touchdowns as a rookie to equate Harris’ 2024 numbers.

Let alone matching Harris’ 2021 rookie campaign of 1,667 yards from scrimmage and 10 touchdowns.

Wide receiver: The same

DK Metcalf (66 catches, 992 yards, five touchdowns in 15 games) and George Pickens (59/900/3) had similar numbers last year. Both dealt with a nagging injury. Both have a penchant for stopping in the middle of a play to fight somebody on the other team.

Otherwise, there is no No. 2 wide receiver, just like last year. Calvin Austin is the next best option, just like last year, and Robert Woods is Van Jefferson.

Roman Wilson could turn all this analysis on its ear if he has a productive second season after essentially redshirting in 2024. I’ll need to see some evidence of that potentially happening before I predict it.

Tight ends: Better

Aaron Rodgers seems to think Darnell Washington is Marcedes Lewis. Meanwhile, coordinator Arthur Smith seems to think that Pat Freiermuth and Jonnu Smith can be what Rob Gronkowski and Aaron Hernandez were for the Patriots in 2011 when they combined for 169 catches and 2,237 yards.

No offense to MyCole Pruitt, but this position will be better due to pure volume if nothing else.

Quarterbacks: The same … at best

Well, the depth is worse. The Steelers’ own actions illustrate that.

In 2024, they turned Mason Rudolph over to free agency and acquired Justin Fields. They didn’t bring back Rudolph in 2025 until Fields left for New York.

What does that tell you?

Will Howard was drafted in the sixth round. So, of course, everyone in Pittsburgh is assuming he’s going to be Tom Brady. Sure. Maybe that’ll be the case. If so, great.

The reality is, for now, he is the 185th player taken in the draft. He’s a rookie. Kyle Allen was a seven-year vet with 19 starts under his belt. If you have to get to the third stringer (this year anyway), that experience is what you want to get you out of a stadium, in one piece.

As for Rodgers, his completion percentage, passer rating and yards per attempt were all worse than Wilson’s last year. That being said, do I think he’ll be better than what we saw from Russ over the last five games of last year?

If he stays healthy, yeah. I do.

Do I think Rodgers will be good enough to pilot the Steelers to 6-1 over any seven-game stretch like we saw from Wilson when he finally got under center in Week 7 last year and looked like a rejuvenated version of himself for a while?

No, I don’t. Honestly, I don’t even know if Rodgers will be upright for any stretch of seven games in a row.

So, except for safety, I don’t see the Steelers being definitively worse at any given position on the field. As a result, you’d think picking at least 10-7 would be easy to validate.

It’s just that being slightly better or pretty much the same in most of the other spots on the depth chart (including quarterback) does very little to shake my belief that this season will end like so many others for the Steelers of late — flailing for the last playoff spot and struggling to stay above .500.

The hideous manner in which 2024 ended dulled my ability to gin-up healthy optimism, especially since the Steelers have brought in lots of players who still cut similar profiles to those they are replacing.

LISTEN: Tim Benz hosts our first Bella Construction training camp podcast of 2025.