The Pittsburgh Steelers remain in a bit of flux as they continue to wait for a decision from 41-year-old quarterback Aaron Rodgers, but outside of that position, things look solid for the Steelers ahead of the 2025 season.
Of course, there’s still a question of WR2 on the roster, and the defense has some questions to address on the field from a run-defense perspective, but overall the roster appears to be in decent shape, even though one talking head thinks this is the worst roster Mike Tomlin has ever had.
It’s not. It’s also not a Super Bowl-contending roster, either. Maybe not even a playoff roster.
But one thing is clear: the Steelers have some elite players who are some of the very best at their positions in the entire NFL.
Of course, that would be All-Pro defensive lineman Cameron Heyward and perennial Defensive Player of the Year candidate OLB T.J. Watt. Both Heyward and Watt remain the cream of the crop at their respective positions and are on clear Hall of Fame paths.
For Pro Football Focus, they are two of the Steelers’ three best players entering the 2025 season. The third-best player is unclear, as the Steelers underwent significant changes this offseason. But PFF’s Trevor Sikkema thinks it’s pretty clear, listing new WR DK Metcalf as the Steelers’ third-best player in a piece highlighting the top three players for all 32 teams ahead of the season.
Watt, Heyward and Metcalf seem like the right choices for the Steelers.
“Watt posted a three-year WAR total of 1.24 and averaged 0.41 per season, ranking sixth among edge defenders. At 35, Heyward still produced a 90.1 overall grade and an 85.9 pass-rush grade, marking his third career elite season,” Sikkema writes. “Metcalf joins Pittsburgh this year after earning a 0.32 WAR in 2024 and should have an immediate impact.”
With Watt and Heyward holding down the front seven, the Steelers’ defense will once again be pretty good. Of course, they need to improve against the run after the tough five-game losing streak to close the 2024 season, and they have to find a way to generate more pressure as a unit, rather than with just a few players.
But overall, Watt and Heyward remain among the best of the best.
Heyward recorded 71 tackles, 8 sacks, 12 tackles for loss, 11 passes defensed and 56 pressures in 2024, finishing as PFF’s No. 1-graded defensive lineman at 90.3 overall. After signing a two-year extension before the start of the season, Heyward proved he was worth every penny, dominating from start to finish.
Watt had a down year by his lofty standards, but he still found a way to impact games, punching the football out time and time again and leading the NFL in forced fumbles on the season with six.
He had just 11.5 sacks and 53 pressures, but he was sound against the run. He did disappear down the stretch after suffering an ankle injury against the Philadelphia Eagles, putting up back-to-back games in Week 18 and the AFC Wild Card Round loss without a single registered stat. But he was quite good for much of the year.
Those two are a great starting point for any team.
Questions remain at quarterback, but having Metcalf will be huge for the offense under coordinator Arthur Smith.
Metcalf is coming off a season in which he hauled in 66 passes for 992 yards and five touchdowns. Every year of his career has seen Metcalf have at least 900 receiving yards as he’s piled up 438 receptions for 6,324 yards and 48 touchdowns. He’s a true No. 1 receiver and should be quite good in Pittsburgh, regardless of who is at quarterback in 2025.
But the Steelers need more help around those three. They have some really good pieces to work with like OLB Alex Highsmith, safeties Minkah Fitzpatrick and DeShon Elliott, inside linebackers Patrick Queen and Payton Wilson, offensive linemen Isaac Seumalo and Zach Frazier, and tight end Pat Freiermuth.
Right now, though, it’s clear that Watt, Heyward and Metcalf are the three best on the Steelers’ roster. Hopefully they can produce at a high level in 2025.
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