3 things to be excited about for the Steelers 2025 season

On the most recent episode of the Pittsburgh Standard Time podcast, Greg Benevent and I discussed the idea of what to look forward to the most for the 2025 Pittsburgh Steelers. With so many, especially those in the national media, being down on the Steelers, there still can be things to look forward to this coming season.

It should be noted that this podcast was actually pushed back a week because one of our top items changed just before we recorded. Many Steelers fans were excited about the idea of having two weapons at wide receiver where other teams would have to try to guard them both, but the trade of George Pickens has changed that for the moment. Instead, it caused us to go in a different direction on offense.

It should also be noted that one thing I pointed out about special teams is how exciting it is to have the NFL’s best kicker on your roster. Chris Boswell is coming off of his first All-Pro season and can hopefully continue to do great things for the Steelers in 2025 and beyond.

So here’s our list of three things to look forward to this year. Remember, these things talk about some improvements that have been made on paper, but whether or not it relates to the field we will not know until this fall.

The Young Offensive Line

While this can also be a huge area of concern, it is also a part of the offense where things could work out well for the Steelers. With a lot of high draft capital poured into the position group over the last several drafts, the offensive line is at a key point where they need to come together and be the strength of the offense. If not, the Steelers will have to continue to look to retool. When was the last time the Steelers offensive line was looked at as a strength? The Steelers have attempted to get back to this place, so it’s exciting to see if they’ve reached that point in 2025.

Improved Secondary

With so much going on with the offense and uncertainty at quarterback and now wide receiver, it’s sometimes easy to forget how much the Steelers have attempted to upgrade their secondary. The Steelers were 25th in the NFL last year against the pass while they were 6th against the run. There was a lot more improvement to be made in a secondary than other places and sometimes that has been forgotten. The Steelers have upgraded the outside cornerback position, even if Darius Slay is only under contract for one season. The Steelers also added depth to the safety position as they have swapped out their number three safety with the Browns in exchange for their number two safety who will now operate as the Steelers third option. While there are some questions at slot/nickel cornerback, the Steelers have several options in hopes that one will ultimately turn out to be the answer. In all, it’s shaping up to be an improved secondary in 2025.

The New Defensive Line

So much focus has been put on the Steelers giving up two different games of 200 or more yards rushing against the Baltimore Ravens at the end of the 2024 season. Outside of the Ravens, the Steelers actually did a nice job stopping to run last season. But if they want to have success in the division, it still wasn’t good enough. For that reason, the Steelers drafted a defensive lineman in the first round for the first time since selecting Cam Heyward in 2011. In fact, Derrick Harmon is the highest the Steelers have taken a defensive lineman since selecting Casey Hampton at 19th overall in 2001. Add in the addition of a 16 game starter from the Patriots last year and Daniel Ekuale who looks to join the rotation, as well as another massive player selected later the draft in Yahya Black, the Steelers have hopefully gone back to a quality defensive line that’s primary concern isn’t players aging out. The 2025 season is shaping up to be the combination of both young and old players to help bring both quality play and hope for the future.

For more of the discussion on reasons to be excited for the 2025 Steelers, check out the most recent episode of Pittsburgh Standard Time below: