The Pittsburgh Steelers addressed key issues this offseason in one way or another. They signed QB Aaron Rodgers, traded for WR DK Metcalf, signed CB Darius Slay, and drafted DL Derrick Harmon in the first round. They also drafted RB Kaleb Johnson in the third round to help bolster the running game.
But do these moves actually make all that much of a difference? Are the Steelers good enough not just to threaten for the playoffs but to win a postseason game for the first time since 2016?
Well, Check The Mic’s Sam Monson sees the potential for the Steelers to be a problem for the rest of the AFC.
“I think the best-case scenario for the Steelers is still legitimate contender,” Monson said Thursday on Check The Mic’s Best/Worst Case Scenario video on its YouTube channel. “I do. And I don’t think it’s because of Rodgers. I saw this list [and], it was ranking the top 10 defenses in the NFL. And the Steelers did not appear on that list at all as a top-10 defense. I think this defense has the potential to be nasty. I think this is easily a top-10 defense, and a top-10 defense with the capacity to carry a team.”
We all know the offense needs to improve, but the defense was downright terrible at points late in 2024. There was the infamous 11-minute drive by the Philadelphia Eagles to ice the game. Then, in the playoffs, the Steelers gave up 299 rushing yards to the Baltimore Ravens. The defense, especially for a team like the Steelers that prides itself on defense, needed to improve.
And the Steelers made some moves to focus on that. They drafted not only Harmon but also DL Yahya Black. They bolstered their outside linebacker depth by drafting Jack Sawyer. The Steelers even addressed the secondary, headlined by signing CB Darius Slay.
But the defense could really use a boost from the offense. Under QB Russell Wilson, the Steelers failed to score more than 17 points during their five-game losing streak, including the playoffs, to end the year. That’s why so many people are focused on Aaron Rodgers when discussing the Steelers’ potential in 2025. Even former NFL OL Kyle Long points out that Rodgers could really help the defense with longer, more consistent drives.
If Aaron Rodgers can recapture even a glimpse of his Hall of Fame career during his time with the Green Bay Packers, he will be a much-needed boost to the Steelers. But Monson doesn’t think Rodgers needs to revisit his MVP days to help the Steelers be contenders.
“And if Aaron Rodgers can just be, I dont know a game manager, but the version of Aaron Rodgers we saw a year ago with a more confident offensive scheme around him, I think the Steelers are a team that, even in a murderer’s row AFC, can make the playoffs and potentially beat teams once they’re there,” Monson said.
That would be music to Steelers fans’ ears. And if Aaron Rodgers can elevate his play, they might do more than just “potentially beat teams” in the playoffs.
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