The Pittsburgh Steelers struggled across the board defensively in 2025. However, the secondary was potentially the most disappointing group for the Steelers last year, with a couple of notable offseason additions failing to live up to expectations.
Thus, it’s a unit they made a few additions to this offseason. But there are still too many questions for former Steeler Trai Essex to believe it’s any better than Baltimore’s secondary.
“I wanted to rank us as the number one secondary unit in the AFC North. But I can’t right now. Because our safety situation is not solidified,” Essex said Wednesday on his Snap Count podcast. “Obviously, the Ravens jump off the top of the list because they have Kyle Hamilton… It also helps they have Malaki Starks and Marlon Humphrey.”
Kyle Hamilton is one of the top defenders in all of football, and Malaki Starks is coming off a pretty solid rookie season of his own. Humphrey is starting to get up in age, but he’s just one year removed from an All-Pro season. It will be interesting to see how that group fares under a new defensive head coach in Jesse Minter, but it isn’t short on talent.
The Ravens aren’t the only AFC North team with a better secondary than the Steelers, in the eyes of Essex. He also thinks Cleveland has a better unit, and ranked the Steelers third in the division.
“They have Denzel Ward, they have Grant Delpit, LSU kid, they have Ronnie Hickman. And I think those are good players, a good trio to build around. And that gives them a slight edge over us,” Essex said. “It’s just too many unknowns; that’s why I give the Browns a slight edge.”
While their record hasn’t shown it, the Browns have quietly been building a solid roster. With Denzel Ward, who wants to stay in Cleveland long-term, they have one big cornerstone to lean on. Essex mentions Delpit and Hickman, and they join recently drafted Emmanuel McNeil-Warren to form a solid young core.
If all their talent pans out, the Steelers have a secondary that can certainly compete with those two. But last season’s additions didn’t pan out, and there is some room to question this group, something Essex would agree with. The depth feels solid at cornerback, but there are some questions at safety.
Ramsey will play back there, but nickel corner will take some of those reps away. DeShon Elliott has been excellent when on the field, but is coming off a major knee injury. Jaquan Brisker and Darnell Savage are solid options if healthy, but they’ve got to stay healthy. And behind them, Sebastian Castro and Robert Spears-Jennings haven’t had much of a chance to prove themselves yet.
Things will undeniably look different at every level with Patrick Graham leading the defense this year. If the pieces the Steelers added to their secondary pan out, it will be a talented group. But Essex isn’t so quick to jump to that conclusion.