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The Pittsburgh Steelers have gone all in on trying to win during the 2025 NFL season. Pittsburgh added Aaron Rodgers earlier this offseason to be the team’s starting quarterback this fall. They also made a number of aggressive moves that balance trying to win now and in the future.
The Steelers did some retooling in their receiver room, trading away George Pickens and acquiring DK Metcalf as their new WR1. They also added a handful of talented players during the 2025 NFL Draft.
Pittsburgh took things to the next level with Monday’s huge trade with Miami.
The Steelers sent away star safety Minkah Fitzpatrick and some draft picks in exchange for legendary cornerback Jalen Ramsey and tight end Jonnu Smith.
Pittsburgh is now reloaded on offense and defense and ready to compete during the 2025 season.
But will they be able to keep Mike Tomlin’s streak of winning seasons alive? Or will the Steelers finally crash to Earth and have a losing season?
Below we will explore why the Steelers are set up to crash and burn after their all-in offseason.
There is no point trying to sugar coat it. Pittsburgh’s offense will be the unit holding the team back in 2025.
That may sound off after the Steelers finally solved their quarterback situation, at least for now, with Rodgers. But Rodgers is a good example of the offense’s main issue heading into training camp.
Pittsburgh has a solid starting lineup on paper, but they are incredibly thin when it comes to depth on offense.
Jaylen Warren and rookie Kaleb Johnson should be an exciting two-headed monster. But Kenneth Gainwell and Trey Sermon are less exciting.
DK Metcalf is nice, especially because he’s a receiver who can dictate coverage. But if Metcalf misses any time, it is immediately a disaster. Robert Woods and Calvin Austin III round out the starting lineup, with veterans like Ben Skowronek and Scotty Miller in reserve. There’s also second-year receiver Roman Wilson, if he can stay healthy. That is a rough looking depth chart.
Credit where it’s due, tight end is set with Pat Freiermuth, Jonnu Smith, and Darnell Washington.
The quarterback position is the worst of all. Rodgers has no guarantee to succeed, especially after joining the team so late in the offseason. The 41-year-old could easily disappoint this fall.
Or get hurt. If Rodgers misses any time, you’re looking at Mason Rudolph and rookie Will Howard as backups. The situation could get ugly if the team needs to count on Rudolph or Howard against the Steelers or Bengals in a big game.
The Steelers don’t have a terrible roster on balance, but their offense does not scream Super Bowl contender.
Arthur Smith will have to work some serious magic if he wants to keep the Steelers in games this fall.
Perhaps the Steelers could get by with a...
