Thursday night football was still preseason football — an ugly watch all around. Thankfully, the regular season is just around the corner. But there are still plenty of takeaways to be had from yesterday’s game:
1. The Steelers looked sloppy
Pittsburgh ended the night with a whopping 13 penalties for 104 yards. Opening the game playing quite a few starters, they still had five penalties for 50 yards with over six minutes left in the first quarter.
Multiple holding calls. There was an offsides call, unnecessary roughness, and 12 men on the field. Reserve center Ryan McCollum had three (!!) penalties alone.
Multiple veteran players didn’t look great, either. Starting running back Jaylen Warren, who’s been able to sit out of the first two preseason games, fumbled early and slipped on two carries, finishing the night with an uninspiring 1.5 yards per attempt.
Mason Rudolph threw an ugly interception, failing to see a safety and underthrowing a deep route. The starting defense looked like they were running through jello trying to stop the Panthers’ backup offense in the run game.
“The tackling was shaky at best at times,” Steelers head coach Mike Tomlin said following the game.
Later that night, a coverage bust that looked a lot like the team’s defensive woes last season resulted in a Carolina touchdown.
Preseason football is always painful, and even as rough as last night was, it shouldn’t be indicative of what either team will look like in the regular season.
Still, it was a junior varsity, unfocused effort for Mike Tomlin’s players — not a good look for athletes trying to make the final roster, or the team’s long list of tenured veterans.
“So we got some things to work on” — also Tomlin after the game.
The good news? The Steelers’ next kickoff isn’t until Sept. 7. They have plenty of time.
2. Welcome to the Steelers, Jalen Ramsey
Speaking of penalties, one of the more memorable ones against the Panthers came in Jalen Ramsey’s lone drive of the game, where he earned an unnecessary roughness flag for shoving a running back well after the play was blown dead.
Yeah, it was yet another penalty. And yeah, a veteran player like Ramsey should probably know better.
But to return to Tomlin’s postgame presser, “I’d rather say ‘whoah’ than ‘sic ’em.’” Especially at the defensive back position.
While D.K. Metcalf and Aaron Rodgers are probably the two biggest-name additions to the Steelers this offseason, Ramsey is the one I was looking forward to seeing on-field the most. The versatile defensive back opens up a number of possibilities for the Pittsburgh secondary, and viewers got a taste of what that’ll look like in the former All-Pro’s handful of snaps Thursday night.
With Juan Thornhill sitting out the game, it wasn’t an exact replica of what the team’s starting secondary will look like Week 1, but Ramsey was still moving around, seeing snaps at safety in base defense and moving into the nickel in sub packages. And he’s already proven he’ll be a force to be reckoned with near the line of scrimmage.
The Steelers have had “feisty” slot corners in the past, but Ramsey — at 6’1, 207 pounds — has a different kind of physicality with his size. In limited time against the Panthers, he still recorded three total tackles. And although he’s at the dreaded 30-year-old mark, he still has the cover skills of a boundary corner.
Pittsburgh’s run support was suspect — the team allowed 171 rushing yards on the night — but in pass coverage, the starting defense’s secondary started the year on the right foot.
3. Skylar Thompson is good — and it’s a good problem to have
On Wednesday, I predicted that the Steelers’ initial 53-man roster would include three quarterbacks: Aaron Rodgers, Mason Rudolph, and Will Howard.
I still stand by that. But Skylar Thompson, who didn’t make the team in my prediction, capped off an already fantastic preseason with an 11/13, 153-yard, one-touchdown performance against the Panthers (141.0 passer rating). And one of his two incompletions might’ve been a touchdown if running back Lew Nichols hadn’t slowed down on his route.
Thompson still provided some highlight-worthy throws:
Helping his roster case was a poor Thursday performance from projected QB2 Mason Rudolph, who’s now thrown an ugly interception in back-to-back weeks. And highly-touted rookie Will Howard still hasn’t appeared in a game following a training camp hand injury.
But at the end of the day, it’s hard to imagine the Steelers moving on from Rudolph. He has too much past experience — and a good amount of success — with the team. He’s on a two-year contract as well, which always signifies a higher level of commitment.
And while the Steelers could put Howard on designated-to-return injured reserve to start the season to keep Thompson around for a bit longer, the rookie had already leapfrogged the him in the quarterback pecking order at training camp before the injury. And Howard’s injury doesn’t seem that severe.
Ultimately, Thompson has played well enough that a QB3-needy team might be willing to flip a Day 3 pick for him on cutdown day. The Steelers won’t be able to fit every quarterback they have on the 53-man roster, but Thompson’s memorable four-touchdown August could still help the team in the end.
4. Yahya Black looks like a steal
Early in the game, I wrote in my notes that the fifth-round defensive lineman was having a quietly excellent performance. The massive defender was routinely involved in run stops, clogging lanes and being one of the few bright spots in an otherwise disappointing night for the Pittsburgh front seven.
But then a quietly excellent game turned into a loudly excellent game.
On back to back plays, Black recorded a sack, and then a strip sack. He finished the night with five total tackles, two sacks, and two tackles for loss.
The sequence came not long after the Derrick Harmon injury — he seems to be OK now but will have an MRI today — that had Steeler fans fearing that the team’s first-round pick would be lost for the year. By forcing -20 yards in two plays, Black seemed to be letting everyone know he was capable of stepping up if needed.
The Harmon crisis seems to be averted, but Black, who’s been the Steelers’ best defender this preseason, has played well enough to lock in his role as Pittsburgh’s top reserve D-lineman come the regular season.
It’s way too early in his career to say anything definitively, but Black has looked a whole lot better than a fifth-round rookie this preseason.
5. Year 2 Payton Wilson should be fun
Linebacker Payton Wilson was a freak athlete when the Steelers drafted him, and he turned in a good rookie season in 2024. The biggest complaint might be that he still, well, looked like a rookie.
While social media was freaking out about the Steelers’ starting defense struggling to bring down the Panthers’ ball carriers, it was easy to forget that Payton Wilson was flying around making cleanup tackles. Not long after, he sniffed out a screen and would’ve gotten a huge tackle for loss if the ball hadn’t been dropped by the running back.
If his college health concerns don’t flare back up, Wilson has sky-high potential, and the game looks like it’s slowing down for him entering his sophomore NFL season. Playing in a talented defense, the rangy linebacker looks poised for a big 2025.
6. Odds and ends
The Panthers broadcast of this game was a tough listen, even if Steve Smith constantly confusing Jack Plummer for Jake Plummer was entertaining, and the interview with Carolina general manager Dan Morgan had some good nuggets. My favorite was the “Lucas Oil Helicopter” television sponsor that felt like a Temu Goodyear Blimp moment. Comedy gold.
Wide receiver Scotty Miller would’ve gotten his own category in this week’s column if I hadn’t already said he’d played his way into a roster spot last week. With 82 more yards on Thursday, Miller should feel pretty secure heading into cutdown day.
There were some good blocking reps from Pat Freiermuth — and even one I noticed from Roman Wilson — in the Steelers run game against the Panthers. That’s how you turn a good running game into a great one, even if the team is still working on the first part.
Speaking of which, Kaleb Johnson continues to look more confident every week, finishing with five carries for 24 yards against the Panthers. Especially following Jaylen Warren’s rough season debut, it’s easy to see Johnson cracking the regular season rotation early on. That said, his upright running style keeps putting him in harm’s way on kick returns.
DeMarvin Leal had an up and down game for the ages in what might’ve been his last set of snaps with the Steelers. He had countless big plays ruined by his own penalties (one facemask, one offsides) or missed tackles. He still finished with three total tackles, but didn’t finish nearly enough plays. However, he was winning pass rush matchups all night and might’ve played his way onto another roster or practice squad — hopefully a team that can cater to his strengths better.
Outside linebacker Eku Leota also won consistently off the edge against Carolina. While he didn’t get home enough either, he did record a tackle for loss along with three total tackles. Leota has some real quickness and bend to his game. If the Steelers can stash him on their practice squad, he should be the next man up if there’s an injury to the team’s pass rushing core.
Rookie linebacker Carson Bruener led the team with seven tackles, including at least one on special teams. Mark Robinson had a big hit that resulted in a fumble (that was instantly scooped up again by the runner, to be fair). The battle for the fifth inside linebacker spot seems to be coming down to the wire, assuming the Steelers keep five.
Undrafted kicker Ben Sauls made all four of his kicks Thursday night, including a long of 50 yards. With Chris Boswell also on the Steelers, Sauls doesn’t have a shot at the 53-man roster. But similarly to Skylar Thompson, he’s a possible trade target for other teams.
It’s a similar situation for punter Corliss Waitman, who seems to have officially lost what was a surprisingly entertaining preseason punter battle with a rough 35-yarder that landed at the Carolina 30-yard line. Still, he was solid as the Pittsburgh starter last year and has been largely excellent over the preseason. However, Johnston, who didn’t have a single bad punt over the last three games, is probably the one who will earn the job in 2025.
It’s been a quiet preseason for Jack Sawyer, but he had his best game yet against the Panthers, causing some pressure from the edge and logging two tackles for loss in the run game. It was a nice boost to see for a fourth-rounder who’s been outplayed at times by those behind him on the depth chart this preseason.
Wide receiver Lance McCutcheon caught the Steelers’ lone touchdown of the night and finished with three catches for 52 yards. He has a good build at 6’2, 202 pounds, and has a viable path to the practice squad now that Roc Taylor is out of the picture.
Another receiver, Ke’Shawn Williams, didn’t light up the stat sheet, but his movement skills continue to stand out on the field. I’ll have more on him in a very important article dropping later this morning…
Cornerback Beanie Bishop Jr. didn’t play a single snap on Thursday, an interesting if not concerning update for a player who defensive coordinator Teryl Austin highlighted as needing to step up earlier this week. To be fair, it could be injury related, but it’s a situation to monitor ahead of cutdown day.
Running back Lew Nichols just can’t stop making plays with a 23-yard catch and run against the Panthers. Trey Sermon also had a nice night with four rushes for 39 yards. Both should be great additions to the Pittsburgh practice squad this season.
The regular season can’t get here soon enough.
After going 2-1 in the preseason, the Steelers have 17 days off ahead of their Week 1 opener at the New York Jets on Sept. 7 at 1 p.m. EST. Barring freak injuries, it will also mark the Steelers debuts for players such as Aaron Rodgers, D.K. Metcalf, and Jonnu Smith.
What are your takeaways from Steelers vs. Panthers? Agree/disagree with the ones above? Join the Behind the Steel Curtain community and let us know in the comments!
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