30 Scenarios in 30 Days: The Steelers will have a Top 5 Rush Defense
The Pittsburgh Steelers are preparing for the 2025 regular season, but before the real games begin, the team has to head to training camp back at Saint Vincent College in order to fine tune their skills. As we here at SCN prepare you for the start of camp, we give you a series called “30 Scenarios in 30 Days” which gives you a Steelers scenario every day leading up to the start of camp.
It is simple how it works. We provide you the scenario, reasons why it will or won’t happen, and then our prediction for what we think will take place.
Let’s get to the scenario…
Scenario: The Steelers will have a Top 5 Rush Defense
Why it will happen: Considering the way the Steelers finished the 2024 season, as it pertains to run defense, it might be easy to think about the team struggling to stop the run. However, the team finished the regular season as a Top 10 run defense. They finished last season as the 6th best run defense in the league, averaging 98.7 yards per game on the ground.
If I’m being honest, I was surprised when I saw this as well, but can they take the next step and be a Top 5 run defense in 2025?
If they were 6th last season, what did they lose in this regard? Really just two players: Larry Ogunjobi and Elandon Roberts.
Other than those two players, almost everything else has been an addition. The Steelers added two defensive linemen in the 2025 NFL Draft, one being 1st Round pick Derrick Harmon. The team also is hopeful to get Cole Holcomb back to health, and the addition of Malik Harrison should pay dividends in run support. Throw in Payton Wilson’s speed and athleticism now has another year under his belt, and the Steelers defense, on paper, should be even better at stopping the run this season. That can equate in a Top 5 run defense.
Why it won’t happen: It’s easy to look at how the Steelers fun defense fell apart down the stretch, especially vs. the Baltimore Ravens in the Wild Card Round of the Playoffs, and think there is a good chance they pick up where they let off.
Outside of the obvious, injury, there is a lot of hope in the aforementioned players to be able to step up in their roles in 2025. Will Heyward, at his advancing age, remain healthy and continue to play at an All-Pro level? Will Cole Holcomb, even if healthy, be able to return to form? While I want to say I stand firmly in believing in the Steelers run defense improving to the point they are a Top 5 team, I’ve seen this movie play out before, and it doesn’t always work out in the Steelers’ favor.
We all have horrible memories of Jon Bostic and a shell of his former self Sean Spence roaming the middle of the field as the team tried to use duct tape and Elmer’s glue to keep things together. Injuries can decimate even the best laid plans, and while it might be the only way the Steelers struggle to stop the run, we’ve been through this before.
Prediction: With the moves made in the interior of the defensive line, I am confident the Steelers will be a Top 10 rushing defense in 2025. Will they be Top 5? I think they will. To me, the Steelers defense is better in all phases heading into this season, and I feel good about seeing this scenario come to fruition this upcoming season.
Miss a scenario? You can see the full list of scenarios below, and be sure to stay tuned to SCN for the latest news and notes surrounding the Steelers as they prepare for training camp.
The Steelers will go above and beyond their win-loss prediction in 2025
The Steelers will throw more INTs than last season
The Steelers will eclipse 50 sacks in 2025
The Steelers Defense Will Have More Takeaways This Season
Aaron Rodgers will start all 17 games in 2025
DK Metcalf Will Have Double-Digit Receiving TDs
I’ll add the loss of Montravius Adams to Ogunjobi and Roberts. Hopefully Roberts won’t be missed, and it’s good Malik Harrison also plays special teams. Note also that the poor three-and-out, Danger-Russ led offense didn’t help the defense from getting beaten down/worn out those last five games.
I can’t count Adams. He only had 188 defensive snaps in 2024. Even though that was in 11 games it comes out to 17 snaps a game. The most he had was 28 against Philly. I have that hope about Roberts as well. He was big for the D. Queen, Wilson and even to an extent Holcomb are all run and hit guys, so you do worry if they are going to be stout enough. My fear with Harrison is he is so far down the depth chart that they don’t look to him in time.
I really like the defensive personnel; I just worry the wrong guys are deploying them. A big reason for that was the change in strategy against the Ravens. They had defended them well earlier. It was like they were trying to outsmart themselves.
I think the Ravens strategy to commit to the run was more reason for the asskicking than the Steelers changes on D.
Also true, no reason to stop running if Pgh couldn’t stop it. Pgh didn’t change what wasn’t working, either. That where I think Pgh was outcoached, ultimately.
They were indeed outcoachef in that WC game. They were coaching out of desperation.