A lot of the talk surrounding the Pittsburgh Steelers since the 2026 offseason kicked off has been about the quarterback and wide receiver positions. This isn’t all that surprising given the team’s needs in those respective areas. Many have slowly forgotten about, however, the organization having an aging defense that was the league’s highest-paid in 2025. It would be a good idea to inject some youth into the unit, which will be a relatively easy thing to do because of the 10-plus draft selections at General Manager Omar Khan‘s disposal. The real mystery is when the front office will target that side of the ball and which areas will be prioritized first.
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Steelers General Manager Omar Khan picks up the phone in the team’s war room during the 2023 NFL Draft weekend.
Inside linebacker, cornerback, safety and even defensive line can be considered spots that can be improved for the Steelers. The team will have free agency to help, and then make a determination afterwards regarding the 2026 NFL Draft. There are some stout prospects, but if Pittsburgh wants a plug-and-play starter at any given position, Khan could have to shock the fan base and go defense in the first round.
The safety position is one that hasn’t been talked about enough in the Steel City. Jalen Ramsey played pretty much everywhere in his first year with the organization, and DeShon Elliot will be entering second season of an extension he signed, while recovering from a significant knee injury. There are a couple of individuals that play on the backend that may go in round one, but there’s someone who has separated himself from the pack.
Caleb Downs from Ohio State could absolutely find himself being taken in the Top 5. He most certainly was saying that before the NFL Scouting Combine; however, things can change. Draft analyst Cory Kinnan from Daft on Draft, reported on Sunday evening that the talented defender had a couple of medical issues pop up while going through evaluations.
“I was told by an NFC scout that Ohio State all-class safety Caleb Downs had a couple of issues flagged during his medical check,” Kinnan wrote. “Nobody expected him to test this week anyway, so it flew a bit under the radar. However, I was told that Downs was flagged with a partially torn meniscus this week. That is not a serious concern, but also being flagged with a potentially degenerative ACL is.”
The Steelers know all about drafting defensive players who have experienced some ACL issues. Payton Wilson had a lot of teams look the other way because of his injury history, but after two full seasons at the professional level, he has remained healthy, playing in 34 regular-season contests.
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Steelers insider linebacker Payton Wilson (41) walks on the field as the team works out during a 2025 training camp practice at St. Vincent College in Latrobe, PA.
No one else has reported this from Kinnan, and it has yet to be officially confirmed, so, for now, this is small scare for Downs. It still could cause franchises to pause before taking him come April. It doesn’t mean that he is already looking at a slide; however, as front offices will keep a close eye on him as the Ohio State Pro Day scheduled for March 25th.
“Now, this is not to signify any sort of significant drop for Downs, who likely will return and get a second opinion and a second check,” Kinnan noted. “Besides, plenty of NFL players have been flagged with degenerative knees before, but have gone on to have successful NFL careers.”
The pre-draft process has a lot of bells and whistles. As Kinnan noted, any concern about Downs’ knee may be glossed over and ignored depending on how his future medical checks go. If the issue continues to pop up, though, the Steelers are a team that recently proved ACL problems are not going to hold them back from taking a guy they want. Downs has the potential to be generational, and him falling down the board could make Pittsburgh think twice about taking a wide receiver.
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Steelers General Manager Omar Khan stands over near and signs pictures for the fans as the team prepares to work out during a training camp practice at St. Vincent College in Latrobe, PA.
Steelers Have More Holes On The Roster Than Fans Realize
While wide receiver and quarterback will take a lot of the attention off of other areas, Pittsburgh has a lot of retooling to do. A rebuild has been ruled out, so the expectation has to be that Khan and co. will fix plenty of holes in free agency. The team needs flexibility come the 2026 NFL Draft to give up capital and trade up if need be. One of those targets in round one to move up for could actually be Downs.