Steelers Stock Report: Preseason Week 1 Edition

This series of weekly articles will take us through the beginning of the season where we’ll analyze what is trending based on actual performance or mere sentiment about all Pittsburgh Steelers related coaches, players, and circumstances using a nifty analogy to the stock market. Said players, coaches, or quirky happenings surrounding the team will be placed in category variations based on “Stock Up,” “Stock Down,” or “Unchanged” (with maybe a few surprise designations here and there.)

Non-leagal Disclaimer: There is absolutely no scientific nor common sense basis for said determinations. It is a mixture of watching the game, articles, camp reports, interviews, the aggregate Facebook fan reactions of the nation of Tuvalu, and a general sense of ennui (not that I really care about that anyway).

ACTUALLY– one slightly more serious caveat- It’s important to note that this weekly list is about those who are ‘rising’ or ‘sinking’) value from what was recently expected. It’s not just about individual performances. A player can have a really great or a really terrible outing, but if that was what most would expect of them anyway, then they wouldn’t likely be on the list. In that way, it’s different from the more straightforward weekly “winners and losers” list.

STOCK UP

Broderick Jones- While it’s true that the running game did not have much room which kind of mitigates perspectives about the O-line overall, the truth is the Steelers starting Left Tackle drew no attention to himself whatsoever during this game. There were no sacks or pressures attributed to him. And, in tribute to the whole starting O-line, Mason Rudolph had all the time he needed to throw. On the lone sack he suffered he had all kinds of time. He just didn’t find a target to hit and got stuck flat footed. The point is, all the reports out of camp about Broderick were dismal. The in-stadium series he played stands in definitive opposition to that. Def stock up.

Skylar Thompson- The bottom of the barrel on the Steelers depth chart, 4th string qb Skylar Thompson went 20 of 28 for 233 yards with 3 touchdowns and a passer rating of 132. If he plays like that during the next two games, he may accomplish one of two things: 1) He will put himself in prime poaching territory if he is assigned to the practice squad or 2) The dearly fan-loved Will Howard could become a short-lived footnote of Steelers lore.

Max Hurleman- Well, Thompson didn’t throw the ball to himself. Hurleman “maxed” his opportunity by collecting two impressive catches for 29 yards and a touchdown. Listed as a RB on the Steelers depth chart, he played more like a slot receiver. Truth is his entire college career featured him playing several positions on both sides of the ball and special teams. It’s anyone’s guess where the Steelers might best use him but his first in-game action skyrocketed his stock from unlisted on the exchange to a solid bell ring. (If you missed it, check out Sadie Huber’s article on this little known Steelers player here: Max Hurleman by Sadie Huber

Beanie Bishop- With 5 solo tackles and a solid pass break up, Beanie Bishop raised his stock (which had sunk quite a bit during camp) a bit. With how Brandin Echols played, it forecasts the potential of the Steelers having a very solid 1st and 2nd string set of Cornerbacks. Speaking of which…

Brandin Echols- One of the biggest defensive free agency steals in Steeler history came from New York in the form of James Farrior. This former Jet established a no-fly zone on his side of the field Saturday evening. With Ramsey, Porter, and Slay the biggest CB names to get attention from most, Echols was kind of an also-ran running under the radar guy in Pittsburgh. If he and Beanie continue to play that strong, is it more likely to see Ramsey lining up in a Safety position more often than thought?

Roman Wilson- He had just two catches for 24 yards during his time on the field, but he looked fast and ran great routes. After extreme concern was expressed about him as camp started up, this is stock way up. Here’s one of his receptions- a beautiful play over the middle from Mason Rudolph:

#Steelers WR Roman Wilson had 2 receptions for 24 yards on that last sequence. Looking solid. #HereWeGo pic.twitter.com/CI1lsJXl7Y

— Steelers Black and Gold Nation – Preseason (@B_GNation1) August 9, 2025

The Steelers Preparation- If only this was a regular season game! The Steelers not only scored on their first drive (on the road) in excellent fashion, but more importantly they had only 5 penalties for 29 yards. At least for this week, Pittsburgh came out fast, executed a bit of a plan, and you couldn’t say they were plagued by sloppy play. All in all from what we’ve come to expect, that’s stock up.

The Middle of the Field- This game featured several big time passes over the middle starting with that great pass featured above to Wilson but also includes Rudolph’s first touchdown toss to Darnell Washington. On top of that, there were actually several from Thompson to Scottie Miller, Hurleman and others. So- it actually is in the playbook, and it can absolutely happen with a player wearing black and gold! We’ll have to see if it translates to the actual starting qb in regular season games, but it sure is pretty when the entire field is used in the passing game.

Insane Field Goals- It’s unfortunate/ fortunate to be on the receiving end of the phenomenal 70 yard field goal from Jacksonville’s Cam Little. It’s points against your team, but it also meant many Steeler fans got to see it in real time. Just an incredible kick. I’ve actually watched the replay and it doesn’t even seem like his leg fully followed through. It practically defies physics. Maybe it gives the Steelers ammo for negotiations with Boswell… “Well, you’re good and all, Chris. But it’s not like you’ve ever kicked it in from 70 yards!” (Just kidding.)

STOCK DOWN

NFL+ Preseason Stream- I don’t know about you, but I would think it wouldn’t be impossible for the NFL’s streaming team to hook up broadcasts hosted by announcers for both teams or neutral voices. It’s just pre-season but it’s still weird to hear the emcees saddened or disgusted at moments that the team you’re rooting for does well. It’s like you’re being forced to watch a game announced by Chris Simms and Chris Collinsworth at the same time! Plus my stream kept losing sound and I had to restart it a bunch of times.

Kaleb Johnson- Yes, I know. He actually did well running the ball despite not having much room. (Kevin Smith does a great job breaking down a representative play here, in case you missed it: Kaleb Johnson by Kevin Smith But, like I said in the intro, this is a stock report, not a winners and losers list. KJ was talked about during camp in a way that suggested we should all be asking, “Najee, who?” but when an RB only gains 2.5 yards per tote, it sounds more like “Najee 2.0”.

Derrick Harmon/ Yahya Black- The talk from camp was these two were unblockable bullies. Harmon was living up to every inch of his first round status and Black was the biggest steal in Pittsburgh’s draft- maybe the last several drafts. But, in their first pre-season game Harmon had bupkus tackles and Black had one. I was expecting Yahya Black to come out with arms like helicopter blades blocking passes left and right, but Jacksonville’s qb’s threw the ball rather effectively. Again- I’m sure their performances were fine. But, the stock market tracks movement. And these two moved down from the ivory pegs they were made to stand on during camp.

Potential of Pre-season Football to Forecast Anything Real- Don’t get me wrong. I was actually quite happy to watch professional football again. And this game actually didn’t look all that sloppy. But with so many starters out for all the teams that played this weekend, it just doesn’t seem like anything can really be learned from the pre-season. (Having said that- in case you missed it- here’s a great letter from our editor about what you can really learn from a pre-season game! 😊): Letter From The Editor by Jeff Hartman

And there you have it. That’s the ‘Stock Report’ from this week! Would love to hear your thoughts in the comments. Until next week- invest wisely, my friends!