Seemingly everyone expects the Pittsburgh Steelers’ defense to be good in 2025. That mindset starts in their building. Juan Thornhill has wondered whether it might be the best defense ever, and Mike Tomlin hinted at a similar thought earlier this week, saying he thinks the defense could do historic things.
“That is a high level of confidence from Mike Tomlin,” Mike Florio said Friday on Pro Football Talk. “I mean, they added Jalen Ramsey. They swapped in Jalen Ramsey for Minkah Fitzpatrick. Other than that, it’s basically the same defense. Am I wrong? It’s basically the same defense. And it wasn’t quite historic last year. It seems odd for Mike Tomlin to be boasting so openly when we really don’t know what they’re gonna be this year.”
It’s not really the same Steelers’ defense as Florio suggests. Jalen Ramsey was the biggest addition, but far from the only one. The Steelers drafted three defensive players with their first four picks in Derrick Harmon, Jack Sawyer and Yahya Black, and they are expected to contribute right away.
In free agency, Pittsburgh made quite a few additions as well. Some of the bigger ones include Darius Slay, Juan Thornhill, Chuck Clark and Brandin Echols. Some of the same stalwarts from previous seasons are still with the season, which might make the defense seem similar for Florio. But it’s definitely not the same unit, with potentially four new starters this year.
Confidence is running high in Pittsburgh. Thornhill and Tomlin’s words have been backed up by some strong play throughout training camp. With some starters sitting out toward the end of camp, the offense did pick up a rhythm. However, with all the defensive starters on the field at the start of camp, the offense struggled to do much of anything.
Most of these starters sat out the first preseason game against the Jaguars, and most of them will sit out Saturday’s matchup against the Buccaneers as well. We might not see all the starters on the field together until the regular season begins. However, the Steelers had a joint practice with Tampa Bay on Thursday, which allowed their defense to see an opponent for the first time as a complete unit.
Tampa Bay certainly had some success against Pittsburgh. But with as many new players as there are on this unit, it’s going to take some time to jell. But whether it ends up being historic or not, the Steelers’ defense can do some great things if it plays up to its potential.
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