In just over a month the Pittsburgh Steelers will return to the rolling hills of Latrobe for the 58th edition of training camp at Saint Vincent College.
Between now and then players are training on their own, enjoying some vacations and getting their bodies right for the long grind of the season.
Here at Steelers Depot, we’re doing the same…just in a different sort of way. Today, I am rolling out the start of the annual summer series “Ranking The Steelers’ Starters” ahead of training camp.
Below you will find the projected lineup that I am using for the series. The series features a two-tight end, 12-personnel set, and base package defensively. This is projected based on snap counts and usage, so it was a toss-up at running back and WR2 in this exercise.
This is the starting lineup that I believe will be rolled out in Week 1 on the road against the New York Jets.
Offense
QB — Aaron Rodgers
RB — Jaylen Warren
WR — DK Metcalf
WR — Calvin Austin III
TE — Pat Freiermuth
TE — Darnell Washington
LT — Broderick Jones
LG — Isaac Seumalo
C — Zach Frazier
RG — Mason McCormick
RT — Troy Fautanu
Defense
DE — Cameron Heyward
NT — Keeanu Benton
DE — Derrick Harmon
OLB — T.J. Watt
ILB — Patrick Queen
ILB — Payton Wilson
OLB — Alex Highsmith
CB — Joey Porter Jr.
CB — Darius Slay
S — Minkah Fitzpatrick
S — DeShon Elliott
Specialists
K — Chris Boswell
P — Cameron Johnston
With that out of the way, I wanted to give a quick rundown of what the Ranking The Starters series looked like from the end of the 2024 season, which I rolled out in January and February.
No. 24 — Van Jefferson, WR
No. 23 — Dan Moore Jr., LT
No. 22 — Corliss Waitman, P
No. 21 — Broderick Jones, RT
No. 20 — Larry Ogunjobi, DE
No. 19 — Darnell Washington, TE
No. 18 — Donte Jackson, CB
No. 17 — Mason McCormick, RG
No. 16 — Keeanu Benton, NT
No. 15 — Elandon Roberts, ILB
No. 14 — Najee Harris, RB
No. 13 — Pat Freiermuth, TE
No. 12 — Patrick Queen, LB
No. 11 — Russell Wilson, QB
No. 10 — George Pickens, WR
No. 9 — Minkah Fitzpatrick, S
No. 8 — Joey Porter Jr., CB
No. 7 — Isaac Seumalo, LG
No. 6 — Zach Frazier, C
No. 5 — Alex Highsmith, OLB
No. 4 — T.J. Watt, OLB
No. 3 — DeShon Elliott, S
No. 2 — Chris Boswell, K
No. 1 — Cameron Heyward, DE
There will be plenty of changes this summer as some new players were brought into the mix and a number of familiar faces left in free agency or were traded this offseason by GM Omar Khan as the Steelers continue to reshape their roster top to bottom.
The Steelers believe they are better entering this year than they were last year, in large part due to the presence of Aaron Rodgers at quarterback, not to mention some added pieces defensively. But will they be better than the 10-7 regular season and a one-and-done trip postseason? That remains to be seen.
Now, let’s dive into the first part of the Ranking The Steelers’ Starters series, looking at No. 24-22.
NO. 24 — BRODERICK JONES, LT
I fully admit that this ranking could look very, very silly later this season as Broderick Jones could be quite good in 2025. But right now, there’s just so much unknown with Jones at left tackle.
While he looked good in limited action at left tackle, particularly in his rookie season, he’s been a bit of a mess throughout the last two years at right tackle. Jones allowed the second-most sacks in football last season, behind only former teammate Dan Moore Jr. He also struggled in the run game for much of the season.
After playing 1,694 snaps over two years at right tackle, Jones is tasked with flipping back over to the left side, where he has just 129 NFL snaps. It’s his more natural position, and it’s the spot the Steelers drafted him to play long term. Will it work out under OL coach Pat Meyer? That remains to be seen. It’s a big projection, one I’m just not sure about.
NO. 23 — TROY FAUTANU, RT
Again, much like Jones, there’s a lot of projecting here with Troy Fautanu, and this ranking could look incredibly dumb early in the season. I didn’t have Fautanu beating out Jones last year for the starting job to open the season, and now with Jones moving over to left tackle there’s no real competition for Fautanu at right tackle.
I still believe Fautanu will be a very good NFL offensive tackle. But entering his second season he’ll have just 55 regular-season snaps under his belt with one career start, and he missed almost the entire season with two separate knee injuries. That’s a real concern.
Health will be a key factor for him this season. So will learning to play next to right guard Mason McCormick, whom he got no time with last year on the field outside of training camp.
I fully expect Fautanu to make this ranking look very silly, but I just have a hard time right now feeling comfortable that there will be no issues with the bookend tackles.
NO. 22 — CALVIN AUSTIN III, WR
Steelers wide receivers coach Zach Azzanni called Calvin Austin III the team’s WR2 right now, so that’s where he slots in my projected lineup. While Austin had a nice season last year, hauling in 36 passes for 548 yards and four touchdowns, he’s more of a WR3-4 and a slot option in the NFL.
Having him as WR2 is concerning on paper, which is why the Steelers seem to still be searching for an addition to their receiver room. Austin showed he’s a big-play threat and he’s much tougher and physical than people give him credit for. But it’s a major question if he can play more than 50% of the offensive snaps in a season and be on the field at all times as that WR2, much like Van Jefferson was last season.
Austin should have a nice year out of the slot now that Aaron Rodgers is in town, but Austin will find himself pushed by the likes of Roman Wilson and Robert Woods, which could put his WR2 status in jeopardy.
Good player, just a lot of projection as a WR2 that leaves a slightly uneasy feeling.
Recommended for you