Behind the Steel Curtain
Over two weeks of Steelers training camp have come and gone. The open-to-the-public practice dates will continue through Aug. 12, but now the focus is on the team’s preseason schedule kicking off Aug. 9.
In short, the novelty of training camp is going to slowly wear off as more real football hits our TV screens. But the training camp craze remains a special part of the leadup to every NFL season. And there are still some takeaways to be had from the practice and interview clips flooding social media…
The biggest one might be that Broderick Jones hasn’t taken a noticeable step forward in his transition from right to left tackle, based on most reports. But that’s been focused on ad nauseum over the offseason. Instead, I’ll focus on some good defensive news:
The Steelers cornerback room looks elite.
Especially when you compare to past years where Pittsburgh has had a revolving door of draft busts and past-their-prime veterans manning the position, it’s hard not to feel optimistic.
And it’s not just on the boundary, either. Fans have been asking for good nickel cornerback play since Mike Hilton left the team in free agency, and Jalen Ramsey, even if he’s no longer at the height of his powers, should be a massive upgrade there – even over Hilton.
Joey Porter Jr. hasn’t had the loudest camp, but his past play still shows a promising young starter who can hold up as a CB1/high-end CB2. And offseason signing Darius Slay, who put up excellent tape last season, has still been making plays at age 34 at practice.
Beyond the starting three, Brandin Echols has reportedly put together a strong camp while names such as James Pierre – who can’t stop intercepting the ball – have also had some training camp highlights. Even if one of Porter, Slay, or Ramsey miss some time, the Steelers seem to have a good group of names on the depth chart.
In fact, Steelers wide receiver D.K. Metcalf went as far as calling the Steelers’ 2025 defense the best he’d “ever seen” at training camp Sunday, largely citing the team’s group of top cornerback talent.
It bears repeating that the Steelers didn’t add Ramsey in vacuum. They had to trade away another former All-Pro defender in Minkah Fitzpatrick away to make it happen. Juan Thornhill is an important man in 2025.
But that doesn’t change that the Steelers are likely looking at the best cornerback play they’ve seen in a very, very long time in 2025.
What are your biggest training camp takeaways so far? Join the BTSC community and let us know in the comments!
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