The Pittsburgh Steelers have been as active as ever this offseason. The team started the offseason with a splash by acquiring WR DK Metcalf, and during what’s traditionally a dead period before training camp, the team pulled off a blockbuster [to trade for CB Jalen Ramsey and TE Jonnu Smith](https://steelersdepot.com/2025/06/full-trade-terms-of-steelers-and-dolphins-blockbuster-deals-revealed/), giving up FS Minkah Fitzpatrick. In between, the team has signed QB Aaron Rodgers, traded away WR George Pickens, and made other moves around the margins to give them the best chance at competing in 2025.
Pittsburgh’s offseason hasn’t impressed Colin Cowherd though, [who said on The Herd on FS1](https://www.foxsports.com/shows/the-herd-with-colin-cowherd) that the team doesn’t have a plan, swapping out similar players for one another.
“So they get rid of a safety, who’s a little past his prime, and they add a corner, who’s more expensive, Jalen Ramsey, who’s past his prime. They get rid of a very high-maintenance wide receiver in George Pickens, and then they inherit a wide receiver who can be high-maintenance, DK Metcalf. You’re just making moves to make moves. There is no plan. If you were to move off George Pickens and acquire Terry McLaurin, the adult in the room, that’s a move I’d get.”
Cowherd said he would argue the Steelers are less talented now than they were last season.
For starters, comparing Pickens’ level of being high-maintenance to Metcalf shouldn’t even be a comparison. While Metcalf can be fiery, he’s not going to cause remotely close to the same level of headaches as Pickens did for the Steelers, and he’s a better receiver right now. That’s just a stupid comparison by Cowherd to fit his narrative.
As far as trading Minkah Fitzpatrick for Jalen Ramsey, the Steelers feel as though Ramsey can offer more versatility. In an AFC North rife with explosive offenses, adding a corner in Ramsey who is still capable of playing some good football and can help the Steelers neuter the passing attack of the Cincinnati Bengals and Baltimore Ravens is a move that the Steelers felt made sense. Getting Jonnu Smith as another weapon for Aaron Rodgers helps mitigate the loss of Fitzpatrick.
Cowherd hasn’t been a fan of anything the Steelers have done probably in the last decade, so it’s no surprise that he’s not a fan of their latest trade and their offseason as a whole. Sometimes, he’s right, but a lot of times, he’s just blowing hot air into the microphone and twisting facts to try and prove a point, and this feels like another case of doing so.
Metcalf is better than Pickens, Rodgers is an upgrade at quarterback, and Ramsey and Smith add a lot of versatility to Pittsburgh and could make them better on both sides of the ball. Pittsburgh’s plan is to go all-in this season with Rodgers likely retiring after the season, and they’re at least making an effort to add players who can help them make some noise in the playoffs.
Cowherd is acting like the Steelers are playing a Madden Franchise mode. At a minimum, Omar Khan and the front office’s moves have been calculated and they clearly feel they can be a better team. The results on the field are obviously all that matters, but to say they don’t have a plan for 2025 feels a little bit far-fetched.