UNITY TWP., Pa. — The Pittsburgh Steelers look like they have a pretty good secondary ahead of the 2025 season.
That should be the case, with the team trading for former All-Pro cornerback Jalen Ramsey right before the start of the season, and adding him to Darius Slay, Joey Porter Jr. and DeShon Elliott, who all had strong seasons in 2024.
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But just how good? That will play out over the course of the season, but if the early returns are any indication — look out.
It’s not just the guys at the top of the depth chart, either. Brandin Echols and Cory Trice have been in an intense battle for the No. 4 cornerback spot, and both have played very well throughout training camp.
When Trice and Porter were injured on Friday, Beanie Bishop stepped up to the first team and played well, and James Pierre found himself on the second squad, making an interception of Mason Rudolph in the end zone to secure victory for the defense in the two-minute drill.
BACKS ON BACKERS DOESN’T DISAPPOINT
By Derrick Bell
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The backs-on-backers drill at Steelers training camp is the most electrifying ten minutes that you’ll ever witness during a practice setting. With the competitive juices overflowing, this is where trash talk reigns supreme and emotions run amok. This is a 1v1 setting where the defensive players own the natural advantage as the aggressor, so when a tight end starts to steal the show in pass protection, it’s worth getting excited about.
The first rep of the night came against T.J. Watt, where the highest-paid non-QB was able to get underneath his pads and generate some initial knockbacken route to the backfield. After that, the Georgia product was lights out. The coaching staff threw him challenge after challenge, and he kept standing tall until head coach Mike Tomlin ran out of challengers to throw his direction.
His matchups versus Jack Sawyer and DeMarvin Leal were utterly dominant, with him anchoring down and giving up no ground whatsoever. Alex Highsmith tried to hit him with his patented inside spin move; Washington remained balanced and was able to mirror him effortlessly, latch on, and drive him backwards on contact. Advantage to the dancing bear wearing #80.
It was hardly a surprise to his teammates, with one of them barking out “not bad for an offensive tackle” in his direction after his grand finale. His response? “Better pay me like one.” While a position switch isn’t in the cards, the Steelers brain trust should feel pretty giddy about having a physical specimen this rare because having a tight end this proficient in pass blocking is very rare. Even if the box score production isn’t gaudy, Washington’s blocking acumen is going to make him a very rich man so long as he stays healthy.
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Arguably the player with the most to prove in this drill was rookie tailback Kaleb Johnson, who struggled during his first exposure to this setting earlier this week. That’s not too surprising considering Iowa’s run-first ecosystem only tasked him with staying in pass protection for all of 60 reps throughout his collegiate career.
Veteran backer Malik Harrison got after him early, catching the youngster lunging before swooping around him for consecutive quick wins. After a rough start and a quick chat from running backs coach Eddie Faulkner, Pittsburgh’s third-round pick found his swagger. The final act of the trilogy resulted in a decisive win with him squaring up his adversary, who was trying to bull rush him backwards. That was a step in the right direction for sure, but Tomlin wasn’t satisfied, and he elected to bring Mark Robinson, a noted thumper, to the party.
The final couple reps showed the necessary physicality that it takes to survive in this league, with his performance drawing praise from his teammates and respect from veteran defenders alike. Hopefully, that will also have a positive effect on his confidence. Johnson’s ability to tote the rock in an outside zone system makes him a seamless fit for Arthur Smith’s offense. But in order for those skills to be put on display to their fullest potential, he’ll need to be trusted to keep the quarterback upright.
Also of note, Payton Wilson looks and sounds like a completely different player from this time a year ago. In his two reps, he ran right through the chest of Kenneth Gainwell, and he was sure to let him know about it after the play, too. There are some lofty expectations out there for this Steelers defense, and rightfully so, but his development is key for this unit reaching their apex. He’s always been extremely gifted, but if the processing speed starts catching up with his physical abilities, watch out. If you’re looking for standouts under the lights, he certainly fell into that category tonight.
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SEVEN SHOTS
The defense won seven shots by a 4-3 margin.
🏈 Aaron Rodgers threw left to the corner of the end zone, but DK Metcalf slipped and Darius Slay swatted the ball away.
🏈 Rodgers handed off up the middle to Kaleb Johnson, where he was stood up by Derrick Harmon and Payton Wilson.
🏈 Rodgers looked to the left corner of the end zone again, this time for Pat Freiermuth, but Slay was again there to wrestle the ball away from, Freiermuth as he came down near the end line.
🏈 Mason Rudolph entered the game and threw to the right corner for Scotty Miller, but Juan Thornhill forced him out of bounds.
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🏈 Rudolph handed to Johnson, who ran around the right end past Trice and Nick Herbig into the end zone.
🏈 Will Howard fired a quick-hitter off to the right for running back Kenneth Gainwell, who had been lined up in the slot.
🏈 Howard rolled right on the final rep, finding Max Hurleman in front of Pierre.
INJURY UPDATES
🏈 CB Joey Porter Jr. did not practice and is day-to-day with a hand injury. Jalen Ramsey moved to outside cornerback, Beanie Bishop was the first-team Nickel and Donte Kent was the second-team Nickel.
🏈 CB Cory Trice suffered a hamstring injury and left practice. He was replaced in the second-team defense by James Pierre.
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🏈 TE DJ Thomas-Jones (left calf/ankle), DT Dean Lowry (knee) and DT Esezi Otomewo (right knee) all did not practice.
🏈 LG Isaac Seumalo took only individual reps as he works back from his undisclosed injury. Spencer Anderson started.
🏈 LT Broderick Jones took one period of team reps before giving way to Calvin Anderson and Dylan Cook. Anderson was injured late in practice and is being evaluated.
This article originally appeared on Steelers Now: Steelers Camp Takeaways: Steelers Secondary Attacks in Waves
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