The Pittsburgh Steelers have had an interesting start to the offseason, to say the least. The team has already managed to replace Mike Tomlin, who surprisingly resigned at the conclusion of the 2025 campaign, with Mike McCarthy, but that isn’t even the biggest storyline as of late. Instead, former star quarterback Ben Roethlisberger has found himself facing a wave of criticism.
Roethlisberger was bashed by one of his former teammates, Joey Porter Sr., during an appearance on Cameron Heyward’s “Not Just Football” podcast. While several folks have supported Porter’s comments, another one of Roethlisberger’s old teammates, All-Pro offensive lineman David DeCastro, came to his quarterback’s defense, saying he loved playing in the NFL with Roethlisberger.
“Yeah, it is what it is. Everyone’s entitled to their opinion. I guess, negativity seems to sell these days, but I loved playing with Ben, for Ben, protecting him,” DeCastro said during an appearance on 93.7 The Fan on Monday morning. “You know, Ben was — I just loved his energy. Ben’s the ultimate competitor no matter what it is.”
Considering how DeCastro spent his career protecting Roethlisberger under center, it shouldn’t come as a surprise that old habits die hard. This discourse has certainly emerged at an odd time, but everyone is entitled to their own opinion. Soon enough, the chatter will quiet down once the Steelers begin working on adding players through free agency and the 2026 NFL Draft.
More NFL: Steelers Predicted To Acquire Intriguing Quarterback To Compete For Starting Job
Story continues below advertisement