Putting a bow and final review on the Pittsburgh Steelers\u2019 offseason as training camp is only days away. A look at the defense, the changes made, and what to watch for over the next five weeks as we race towards the season opener against the Atlanta Falcons.<\/p>\n
Yesterday, we focused on the offense.<\/a> Tomorrow, we\u2019ll finish with special teams.<\/p>\n Defensive Line<\/p>\n There are five d-line locks: Cam Heyward, Derrick Harmon, Keeanu Benton, Yahya Black, and Sebastian Joseph-Day. Harmon, Black, and Benton all must keep ascending while Heyward continues fighting Father Time.<\/p>\n The rest of the group is fighting one of Pittsburgh\u2019s most competitive battles. With no more than two spots available, Esezi Otomewo, Gabriel Rubio, Dean Lowry, Logan Lee, and Kevin Jobity Jr. all could find a place on the 53. Whoever stays healthy, plays the run hard, and shows great chase to the football will win out. Anthony Goodlow and Kyler Baugh are playing for the practice squad, at best.<\/p>\n Edge Rusher<\/p>\n T.J. Watt, Alex Highsmith, and Nick Herbig lead Pittsburgh\u2019s top positional group. It\u2019s doubtful we\u2019ll see much of the team\u2019s three EDGE package, though it\u2019s something we\u2019ll keep an eye out for during camp. None figure to play much, if at all, in exhibition action.<\/p>\n Jack Sawyer is back for his second lap after a solid rookie season. Jamin Davis is a former first-round pick with inside\/outside versatility but has struggled to live up to his pedigree. Julius Welschof remains Pittsburgh\u2019s international exemption. He will likely continue to hang around for that reason, and his run defense is solid. As a pass rusher, however, he\u2019s shown limited upside with his sacks coming from effort, not high-end skill.<\/p>\n Inside Linebacker<\/p>\n One group Pittsburgh left almost entirely unchanged from a year ago, including keeping positional coach Scott McCurley. It\u2019s a big year for Patrick Queen and Payton Wilson. Queen\u2019s a pending free agent, and Wilson must show he can play in all situations, especially run downs. There are\u00a0already whispers of Cole Holcomb<\/a> taking on the role.<\/p>\n Malik Harrison can thump against the run, but there are legitimate reasons to think the Steelers could axe him, especially with his relatively large salary. Carson Bruener enjoyed a strong rookie year on special teams but will aim to log more than the one defensive snap he received in 2025. Jacoby Windmon returns for his third stint<\/a> with the Steelers. He has Sunday experience and flashed during his previous camp stint. A sleeper to stick if Harrison is cut.<\/p>\n Cornerback<\/p>\n The status of Joey Porter Jr.\u2019s contract will serve as a top summer storyline. How Jamel Dean fits in as a starter, with his up-and-down career, is also worth watching. Brandin Echols and Asante Samuel Jr.\u2019s roles on the team are another component. Are they pure backups or will they have a sub-package role? Daylen Everette is a put-together rookie who rose to the challenge in the spring, but the summer is different.<\/p>\n The Steelers are deep at cornerback, giving those at the end of the roster an even tougher challenge. D\u2019Shawn Jamison and Donte Kent are slot options who need to maximize reps. The speedy Jamison had a cup of coffee last year, while Kent\u2019s rookie year was washed out by ankle and knee injuries \u2013 will he start on the Active\/PUP list?<\/p>\n Tamon Lynum, Ahmari Harvey, Devan Boykin, and Doneiko Slaughter are buried at the bottom of the depth chart. A Porter hold-in and any injuries ahead will begin to open reps. It\u2019s a mostly young group fighting for a chance.<\/p>\n Safety<\/p>\n Jalen Ramsey\u2019s alignment will be worth monitoring throughout the summer. He figures to wear multiple hats, but nailing down the trends will be key. As he did during camp last year, Ramsey might play safety in Pittsburgh\u2019s base 3-4 and slot in all its sub-packages. DeShon Elliott is back and healthy, but how he fits alongside Jaquan Brisker is worth exploring, especially in Pittsburgh\u2019s base grouping.<\/p>\n Brisker was a solid signing and good fit for DC Patrick Graham.<\/p>\n Sebastian Castro, Robert Spears-Jennings, and Darnell Savage are all battling for the final spot or two at safety. Castro and Spears-Jennings are capable special teamers while Savage is the experienced vet. Jack Henderson is frozen out behind but has sleeper potential.<\/a> The more Ramsey plays cornerback, the more reps Henderson will get as third-team safety.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Putting a bow and final review on the Pittsburgh Steelers\u2019 offseason as training camp is only days away.…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":770519,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[2055],"tags":[4034,7,1815,7582,6,7584,520,57,2360,426,5226],"class_list":["post-953964","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-pittsburgh-steelers","tag-cameron-heyward","tag-football","tag-jalen-ramsey","tag-joey-porter-jr","tag-nfl","tag-patrick-queen","tag-pittsburgh","tag-pittsburgh-steelers","tag-pittsburghsteelers","tag-steelers","tag-t-j-watt"],"share_on_mastodon":{"url":"https:\/\/channels.im\/@nfl\/116973455853295939","error":""},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/953964","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=953964"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/953964\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/770519"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=953964"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=953964"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=953964"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}