Steelers' Defense Still Expected To Seriously Struggle In One Specific Area In 2025: "They Keep Punting On It Every Single Year"

The Pittsburgh Steelers completely fell apart in the final month of the 2024 regular season, which led to the unsurprising, yet disastrous playoff performance in the Wild Card Round. Another unsurprising aspect to Pittsburgh's downfall last season was the lack of support from the offense. The Steelers really haven't had a consistent answer offensively for many years now, but what came even more shocking and disappointing was the defense's performance at the end of the season overall. 

As many remember, the Steelers' defense was nonexistent against the run at the end of 2024. Derrick Henry and the Baltimore Ravens punished them multiple times, including the embarrassing outing in the first round of the playoffs. While the defensive front was an easy target for many, the back end of the defense also didn't play as well as they needed to. 

Joey Porter Jr. and Donte Jackson were the team's top two cornerbacks last season, as Jackson led the team in passes intercepted. Unfortunately, as the season progressed, Jackson was unable to stay consistently healthy and wound up becoming more of a liability, which led to the Steelers deciding to not re-sign him in free agency this offseason.

So, with the absence of Jackson on the roster heading into 2025, the Steelers needed more help at the position. The franchise went out and signed cornerbacks Darius Slay and Brandin Echols during the early stages of free agency this year, but Steelers insider Ray Fittipaldo isn't too confident that they will solve Pittsburgh's issues against the pass. 

"They didn't want to bring back Donte Jackson, but Donte Jackson led them in interceptions with five," Fittipaldo said. "You're replacing him with a 34-year-old veteran, and I know there's some pedigree there, but just the way they go year to year with this position, they keep punting on it every single year, never really turns out for them. So, I'm gonna say [the cornerbacks will be worse in 2025 than they were in 2024]."

Fittipaldo, like many fans in the Steel City, is just simply fed up with the Steelers being incapable of improving certain positions on the roster after years of trying. 

"This isn't a criticism of Slay," explained Fittipaldo. "It's probably more of a criticism of them, just the way they approach that position. It's like the quarterback position. They just keep bringing guys in every year and not really developing guys, so that's kind of why I'm down on them."

While Slay may have a solid 2025 campaign, the Steelers need to find options for the future to pair with Porter. Echols, who signed a small two-year deal with Pittsburgh this offseason, is only 27 years old. Beanie Bishop Jr and Cory Trice Jr are also young players who could develop into the defensive backs that the Steelers need long-term.

Ultimately, Pittsburgh's pass defense will only perform as well as the unit up front does and vice versa. If the pass rush isn't able to get to the quarterback, which they seemingly weren't at the end of 2024, then it doesn't matter how well the defensive backs cover their wide receivers. Both the pass rush and pass defense were on a hot start at the beginning of last year. Once key players like TJ Watt, Alex Highsmith, and Jackson sustained lingering injuries, the defense was never the same. 

Steelers Might Benefit From A Switch Of Defensive Play-Caller

While Teryl Austin has the title of defensive coordinator, it's no secret that Pittsburgh's head coach dials up the play-calls on game day. Mike Tomlin has always been a defensive-minded head coach, because as many know, defense is supposed to win championships. It could be time for a change in that aspect, however. Although, another Steelers insider recently explained how that will likely never happen. 

How do you think the new cornerback group will perform in 2025? Will they be better or worse than they were last season? Let us know your thoughts in the comments below.

#SteelerNation