The Pittsburgh Steelers are an NFL organization that none of the other 31 teams take lightly in preparation. Because of leaders like Head Coach Mike Tomlin and his star defensive play-makers, other NFL locker rooms have to find creative ways to motivate their players ahead of a matchup with the Steelers. For most teams, it starts with shutting down guys like TJ Watt, Cam Heyward, and that punishing pass rush Pittsburgh has always seemed to have.
Tomlin, who heads into his 19th season as the Steelers' head coach in 2025, continues his consecutive streak of non-losing seasons. Although Tomlin and the Steelers have been greatly disappointing down the stretch and in the postseason in recent years, Pittsburgh remains an organization that can beat anyone any given week.
One of the many coaches that Tomlin has a long history with in the NFL is former New England Patriots' head coach, Bill Belichick. The two are widely considered as some of the greatest coaches that the NFL has ever seen, and the thrilling showdowns between the two sides over the years prove so. Daniel Ekuale, a former Patriots defensive lineman that signed with Pittsburgh this offseason, recently revealed one of Belichick's coaching tactics when they would face the Black and Gold.
"In New England and in Cleveland, we didn’t take the Steelers lightly," Ekuale said. "In New England, Bill Belichick stressed a lot of the details. We had pictures of Cam and TJ posted on the board and he told us not to let those two guys beat us. It was always a highly anticipated matchup."
The respect that Pittsburgh's defensive front has earned over the years is something special. For five straight seasons, from 2017 to 2021, the Steelers were top two in the NFL in total sacks. Four of those five seasons they ranked first, including three straight seasons from 2019 to 2021. Since then, unfortunately, Tomlin and the Steelers haven't even cracked the top 10 in total sacks for a season, despite having one of the best three-way edge rush rotations with Watt, Alex Highsmith, and Nick Herbig.
Ekuale, who signed with the Steelers in March of 2025, is 31 years old and has played in 57 games as a pro. He spent the last four seasons with the Patriots and had the best season of his career in 2024. Last season, Ekuale played the most games he had in a single season and earned a career-high in total tackles. His involvement as a backup defensive tackle took a big jump last season, despite being moved on by New England. Ekuale could be a sneaky signing for the Steelers as they are looking for any help possible at the position behind Heyward.
Steelers Will Add To Defensive Tackle Early In 2025 NFL Draft
The wide consensus around the NFL is that the Steelers will spend their 21st overall draft pick on either a defensive tackle or a quarterback. Both remain as the two most needed position groups on Pittsburgh's current roster, but the fact that they don't have a second-round pick due to the groundbreaking trade for DK Metcalf could make draft decisions difficult. There are tons of defensive tackles entering the draft this month that will be starter-ready in September when the regular season rolls around, but still, the Steelers remain without a viable quarterback option other than Mason Rudolph.
