Over much of the offseason, the focus on the Pittsburgh Steelers was on their offense and pursuit of quarterback Aaron Rodgers. All the stories about Rogers somewhat cloud the fact that this is still a Steelers team that really boasts a talented defense. Ahead of the 2025 NFL season, the focus of professional football is ranking all position groups. And the Steelers were selected to the team with the best defensive linePFF that includes Edge as part of the line of defense.
“The Steelers’ defensive line led by edge defender TJ Watt and interior defender Cameron Hayward continues to be the best in the NFL. The two Pittsburgh players are one of the 30 top-stage interior defenders, ranked in the top 20 in Edge Director last season.” “The Steelers further strengthened their elite units by selecting interior defender Derrick Harmon in their first round pick in the 2025 NFL Draft.”
TJ Watt and Alex Highsmith were named Best Edge Duo by PFF last week, while the Steelers also have Nick Herbig in the reserve, giving the team the most powerful external linebacker room in the NFL. On the line, Hayward ran a Monster 2024 campaign with 71 tackles, eight sacks and 11 passes deflections. Keene Benton ranked 29th best interior defender, adding Harmon to the mix, and the Steelers give the rookie who led the FBS under pressure in Oregon last season.
This season, it’s a strong group that can get much stronger if Benton is developed as a pass rush. He has two sacks throughout two NFL seasons, but developing more pass rushing repertoire will allow the Steelers to return to being one of the best in the league when it comes to beating quarterbacks.
The Hayward, Watt and Highsmith trio are not the best in football at the front seven, but it’s no surprise that the Steelers, who were first in these same rankings at the end of last season, held the top spot. Adding Harmon requires the Steelers to upgrade what came out of Larry Ogunjovi last season. If Watt can return to form after a slow end of the season and Highsmith can stay healthy, the Steelers’ defensive front could potentially carry them to some extra victory, as has been done over the past seasons.
