The snow is starting to thaw here in the Pittsburgh area, temperatures are warming up ever so slightly, and the NFL calendar rolls on as Super Bowl LX is in the rearview mirror.

Here at Steelers Depot, we roll on in offseason mode. Just over one month from now, the NFL’s new league year will open, and free agency will get underway.

For now, though, I want to continue to cover some ground in my post-season series of Ranking The Steelers’ Starters. So far, I have covered No. 24-22, No. 21-19, and No. 18-16. Check all three of those out to better understand today’s rankings.

As a reminder, here’s how the list looked from No. 24-1 ahead of training camp.

No. 24 — Broderick Jones, LT
No. 23 — Troy Fautanu, RT
No. 22 — Calvin Austin III, WR 
No. 21 — Cameron Johnston, P
No. 20 — Derrick Harmon, DE
No. 19 — Mason McCormick, RG 
No. 18 — Keeanu Benton, NT 
No. 17 — Darius Slay, CB
No. 16 — Jaylen Warren, RB 
No. 15 — Payton Wilson, ILB
No. 14 — Patrick Queen, ILB
No. 13 — Aaron Rodgers, QB
No. 12 — Pat Freiermuth, TE 
No. 11 — Joey Porter Jr., CB 
No. 10 — Jonnu Smith, TE 
No. 9 — Isaac Seumalo, LG
No. 8 — Jalen Ramsey, DB
No. 7 — DK Metcalf, WR 
No. 6 — DeShon Elliott, S
No. 5 — Zach Frazier, C
No. 4 — Alex Highsmith, OLB
No. 3 — Chris Boswell, K 
No. 2 — T.J. Watt, OLB
No. 1 — Cameron Heyward, DE 

Here’s how the list looks coming out of the season to this point.

No. 24 — Darius Slay, CB
No. 23 — Corliss Waitman, P 
No. 22 — Jonnu Smith, TE 
No. 21 — Calvin Austin III, WR 
No. 20 — Broderick Jones, LT 
No. 19 — Keeanu Benton, NT 
No. 18 — Pat Freiermuth, TE 
No. 17 — Payton Wilson, ILB
No. 16 — Patrick Queen, ILB

Today, we’ll dive into No. 15-13.

NO. 15 — MASON MCCORMICK, RG

After landing at No. 19 entering training camp, starting right guard Mason McCormick makes a nice climb up to No. 15 in the postseason rankings. He played more than 1,000 snaps on the season and was quietly a steady piece for the Black and Gold.

Though he allowed a career-high 25 pressures and four sacks, McCormick was impressive in pass protection once again, locking things down in between Zach Frazier and Troy Fautanu. He also took a step forward as a run blocker, continuing to tap into his physicality to provide some snarl up front. When the Steelers were at their best running the football, it was often behind McCormick on the right side.

The arrow is very clearly pointing up for him.

NO. 14 — JAYLEN WARREN, RB

Yes, Jaylen Warren rushed for nearly 1,000 yards and took a step forward as a pass catcher out of the backfield in 2025. He also climbs up the rankings some here, too, going from No. 16 to No. 14. But it’s hard for me to move past the fact that when the Steelers needed plays offensively, they were turning to Kenneth Gainwell in the backfield, and not Warren.

The Steelers signed Warren to a contract extension before the season, so he’s secure in his future. He ran very hard all season long and stayed relatively healthy, too. And he got better and better as the season progressed. But coming into the year, he was expected to be the bell-cow in the backfield and instead was seemingly passed up by Gainwell.

It’s not a huge knock on Warren, considering Gainwell was the Steelers’ MVP. But it’s hard to put Warren any higher here due to the fact that he felt like the second fiddle for long stretches this past season.

NO. 13 — JALEN RAMSEY, DB

When the Steelers made the splashy move to trade for Jalen Ramsey, they expected him to be a key piece in the secondary, helping shore up everything and providing versatility and stability. Throughout much of the season, Ramsey provided that, especially when he made the move to safety to plug some holes due to injuries and poor play.

But his overall performance from an individual aspect left much to be desired. Sure, Ramsey was an impactful blitzer from the secondary, recording a career-best 3.0 sacks. But he didn’t have much of an impact from a takeaways perspective. He had just one interception on the season, and late in the year was a mess in coverage, particularly in the Week 18 finale against the Baltimore Ravens.

He should be back for another season with the Steelers, but it would be best if they moved him into the slot full-time and let him work there, rather than trying him on the boundary or at safety once again. He deserves a lot of credit for his communication abilities and for how he helped keep a lid on things much of the year at a new position. But he wasn’t the Ramsey the Steelers were expecting.