Answering some Burning Questions surrounding the 2025 Steelers

It is hard to believe, but the Pittsburgh Steelers report to training camp at Saint Vincent College in Latrobe, PA next Wednesday, July 23rd. And as the team prepares to report back to duty, there are some questions which have been lingering over the fan base for some, if not all, of the offseason.

Some of these questions which I deem to be “burning” stem from content I’ve previously created. Others are just ongoing questions and/or issues the fan base might have with the team in some regard. So, without further ado, it’s time to tackle some of these questions:

1 – What about Patrick Queen and Keeanu Benton in the new nucleus? Does Pat Freiermuth belong?

Let’s start with Patrick Queen. He fits the criteria I set forth on my Friday podcast when talking about the new nucleus of Steelers players. He’s young, talented, and already on his second contract. Seems like a shoe-in, but there is something which I found “off” about Queen last season. Maybe it was the fact it was his first season with the Steelers and getting his feet wet. Maybe it was a lack of splash plays. And maybe 2025 will be entirely different and he’ll be what we all expected when he signed from Baltimore as a free agent. The biggest fact I can’t seem to shake is why Baltimore let him go if he was as-advertised?

Keeanu Benton was a misstep on my part. He should have been included in the new nucleus, but I also have questions about whether or not the coaching staff will be able to put him in a position to maximize his potential. Multiple people who know way more about football than me have suggested he shouldn’t be a pure nose tackle, but instead be put as more of a DT or DE in the Steelers scheme.

So why aren’t they doing that? Well before the 2025 NFL Draft, they didn’t have a lot of other options. But with Derrick Harmon and Yahya Black now in the fold, it should be a different story. This is a big season for Benton in a lot of ways.

Lastly, does Freiermutgh, who I had being a part of the new nucleus, belong there? I still believe he does. The team honored him with a new contract, which I felt was very fair, before the 2024 season, which says a lot. He has also showed a willingness to be a leader on the offense when no one else has been able to hold that spot for more than one season. Do I want to see more production from Freiermuth in 2025? Absolutely, but I still believe in his leadership and being the voice on the offense for the foreseeable future.

2 – How will Jonnu Smith impact Pat Freiermuth?

The signing of Jonnu Smith has been an undercard to the main event that was the Minkah Fitzpatrick and Jalen Ramsey trade, but Smith will absolutely have an impact on the offense. How will that impact Freiermuth is a logical question to ask.

I think the Steelers will utilize Smith and Freiermuth in 12 personnel a lot, but with Freiermuth being more of the Health Miller-type tight end role. I would expect Smith to be moved around more in the offense, with Freiermuth doing what he’s done since he was drafted…be more the traditional tight end in the offense.

Freiermuth has never been the type of receiving threat which can motion around the offense and still be a viable threat. That’s what Smith has done throughout his career; therefore, I think Smith and Freiermuth, not one or the other, will be a great compliment for the Steelers offense in 2025.

3 – How will the defense operate with a new secondary?

Let me answer this question with another question…will this be the same defensive scheme we’ve seen since Teryl Austin took over for Keith Butler, just with different players on the roster?

That’s what I fear the most, but I can’t think the Steelers would make the trade they did with the Miami Dolphins only to do the same thing over and over again. That would be the epitome of idiotic. Then again, the Steelers have done this on more than one occasion before.

What I am hoping for is the Steelers secondary to not just aid the pass rush with better coverage, but to have a versatile approach to their coverage schemes which will confuse the opposition. Have the opposing quarterback line up under center and not know if Jalen Ramsey is covering the tight end in the flat, or if he will be dropping into the deep third as a pseudo safety. It’s this type of play we haven’t seen enough over the last few seasons, and many would suggest they didn’t have the players to do it.

They do now, so let’s see what they can scheme up.

4 – Do the Steelers really need a WR2?

Fans will still be clamoring for another wide receiver, and I’m not against them continuing their search, but I want to make it clear the team will likely head into camp and give the players on the current roster a chance to prove themselves worthy of the WR2 role. No, I don’t see Jonnu Smith as the WR2 answer, but I do think he allows for a current member of the team the chance to prove himself during training camp and the preseason.

We haven’t seen what Roman Wilson can do yet, and Calvin Austin III could carve out a larger role for himself in 2025. What about Ben Skowronek being more than just a special teams player?

A lot of these answers will be found in training camp, but I expect the Steelers to give their guys a shot at the WR2 job. They’ll still monitor potential trades and players who could be released, but I don’t see a big trade coming before camp.

5 – When will the T.J. Watt deal get done?

Lastly, the biggest talking point this offseason has been when a deal with Watt will get done. Notice I didn’t say “if it gets done”, but “when it gets done”. That was intentional because I do think the Steelers and Watt get a new deal done before Week 1. But will it be at the witching hour like it was in 2021? Or will they get a deal done earlier than expected?

I don’t have any inside information on this, but something tells me the Steelers will get a deal done earlier than many might believe. I’ll say the Steelers and Watt come to terms on an extension around Preseason Week 1. Could be before, or just after, but Omar Khan has proven that when he wants to get a deal done, timelines don’t matter. He got the Diontae Johnson and Minkah Fitzpatrick contracts done earlier than most expected, and Watt should be no different.

Once Watt gets to camp, and they are around each other on the day-to-day, I expect some headway to be made and a deal to get done so it doesn’t hang over the team like an ominous cloud.

I answer these questions in further detail on the Wednesday “Let’s Ride” podcast, which can be heard in the player below: