Making as many moves as they did this offseason, expectations have been raised for the Pittsburgh Steelers in 2025. The Steelers finished with a 10-7 record the last two seasons, but the busy offseason showed the sense of urgency their front office felt. Do those moves make enough of a difference for the Steelers this year? Former NFL OL Ross Tucker doesn’t think so.
“The Pittsburgh Steelers, 9-8,” Tucker said Monday while predicting each AFC team’s record on his Ross Tucker Football Podcast. “What a unique offseason for the Steelers. It’s hard to imagine them being better than the Ravens, or the Bills, or certainly the Chiefs.”
The Steelers know they have to tool up for the future, and they’ve done a good job of stockpiling draft capital in order to do so. However, Tucker’s last sentence there is a solid representation of where this team is right now. Some parts of the roster are in the process of retooling. But other spots have a ton of talent, which is only getting older, especially on the defensive side of the ball.
It may take some time for all the new faces to jell. Aaron Rodgers is going to be playing with receivers he’s never thrown to before. In the secondary, there could be as many as three new starters. However, Tucker’s prediction essentially means the Steelers would be a game worse than their 10-7 record last year, but how likely is that?
It’s hard to find a place on this roster where the Steelers got worse on paper. Rodgers should be an upgrade over Russell Wilson, and a backfield consisting of Jaylen Warren, Kenneth Gainwell and Kaleb Johnson should be at the same level Najee Harris was last year. Defensively, the line is stronger as well with two new rookies in Derrick Harmon and Yahya Black. Pittsburgh made its big secondary additions and now gets Cole Holcomb back from injury too.
That certainly doesn’t mean the Steelers are contending for a Super Bowl this year. Tucker is right that it’s hard to imagine them competing with Kansas City, Baltimore, and Buffalo. This team could be capable, but it has to show it before anybody believes it. That said, if the Steelers finish with a 9-8 record, it would be a disappointment after such a busy offseason.
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