Steelers Hit With Harsh Reality Check Following Blockbuster Trade

The Pittsburgh Steelers totally revamped their secondary this spring and summer, bringing in big-name players like Jalen Ramsey and Darius Slay, as well as role players like Juan Thornhill, Brandin Echols, and rookies Donte Kent and Sebastian Castro. They also moved on from star safety Minkah Fitzpatrick.

Head coach Mike Tomlin has always taken a certain pride in constructing the defense how he sees fit, and one would assume his hands are all over each of these transactions. Yes, Tomlin was likely smiling somewhere when the blockbuster trade was announced, with Fitzpatrick swapping out for Ramsey, but not everyone agrees this unit is better in 2025.

Pro Football Focus dropped its annual secondary ranking on July 8, and it acted as a harsh reality check for Tomlin and the Steelers. Not only was Pittsburgh notably absent from the top 10, but PFF didn’t even deem their secondary top 15 around the NFL.

The Steelers did check in just inside the top half, however, at No. 16 overall.

To make matters worse, 11 of the secondaries ranked above them were from AFC teams, including the division rival Baltimore Ravens and Cleveland Browns, putting them 12th inside the conference. And for the biggest head-scratcher of all, the Ravens’ secondary was placed No. 1 overall after allowing the second-most passing yards in the NFL last year.

PFF Explains Ravens & Steelers’ Secondary Rankings

Both the Ravens and Steelers targeted veteran cornerback additions via trade, and yet one secondary unit rose to first overall and the other dropped to 16th. Here’s why, according to PFF’s John Kosko.

“The Ravens added PFF’s ninth-highest-graded cornerback from a year ago, Jaire Alexander, this offseason to pair with the NFL’s seventh-highest-graded cornerback, Marlon Humphrey,” they explained. “They also drafted Malaki Starks, PFF’s top-ranked safety in the 2025 NFL Draft, to join the league’s best safety, Kyle Hamilton.”

“While safety Ar’Darius Washington suffered a torn Achilles tendon in May and is likely to miss the entire 2025 season, Baltimore’s philosophy of drafting the best player available has given the unit tremendous depth, assuming Starks lives up to his draft status,” they continued.

Adding: “Don’t forget the Ravens selected Nate Wiggins in the first round of the 2024 draft and signed Chidobe Awuzie in free agency. This is a secondary that could be extremely difficult to throw against in 2025.”

On the flip side, Kosko wrote the following about the Steelers:

“The trade for Jalen Ramsey brings a true superstar to Pittsburgh’s secondary, but the loss of Minkah Fitzpatrick leaves a massive void at safety. DeShon Elliott is coming off his best season with a 71.1 grade, though it’s his only year grading above 70.0. Juan Thornhill, another offseason addition, has already shown signs of decline. The cornerback group, led by Ramsey, Darius Slay and Joey Porter Jr., should be a strength, but the secondary overall leans heavily on aging veterans with little young talent to provide a spark.”

Will Mike Tomlin’s Big Gambles in the Secondary Pay Off?

Heading into the offseason, much of the public focus was on improving the run defense. The irony is, at least in terms of yardage allowed, the Steelers’ 2024 run defense ranked sixth in the NFL while their pass defense ranked 25th.

Statistically, Pittsburgh’s secondary was not as good as players like Porter and Fitzpatrick thought it was. And say what you want about Tomlin, but clearly, he recognized that.

Fitzpatrick is gone. Donte Jackson is gone. And Cameron Sutton is gone.

Porter has also been put on notice, with Ramsey and Slay ready to bounce him from the starting lineup if he struggles.

On top of that, the Steelers weren’t willing to assume that second-year UDFA Beanie Bishop Jr. would take the next step, as he will likely be shifted into more of a backup role after the trade. The same goes for Cory Trice Jr. and newcomers like Echols or Kent.

Finally, reporters covering the team have already hinted that a third safety will be targeted to supplement Thornhill and Elliott.

Tomlin has placed all his chips on the table this offseason. The question is, will these gambles pay off? If they do, the Steelers’ secondary will surely rank much higher than 16th when all is said and done.