Former DPOY Makes Bold Statement About Steelers Defense

The Pittsburgh Steelers' defense faltered amidst a five-game losing streak to finish the 2024 season, but a former AP Defensive Player of the Year believes the organization took the proper measures to ensure that those struggles are a thing of the past.

While appearing on "Up & Adams", former Carolina Panthers linebacker Luke Kuechly explained why he believes the Steelers will own the best defense in the NFL this year.

"I'm from Cincinnati, and I hate to say it, but I think Pittsburgh’s always tough,” he said. “They’ve got some stuff to figure out. Everybody’s looking at the T.J. Watt situation and them sending Minkah [Fitzpatrick] down to Miami. But you look at the build of that secondary, with Darius Slay, Joey Porter [Jr.], and Jalen Ramsey — and then you have [Alex] Highsmith off the edge and T.J. Watt on the other side, Cam Heyward on the inside.

“They’ve got some dudes in Patrick Queen — and you guys know, I love Payton Wilson at the linebacker level. They’ve got a little bit of everything. They’ve got a three-level approach that I like. … That defense, I think on all three levels, is going to have a really, really good opportunity to be a dangerous team this year in the NFL."

Pittsburgh's defense was still efficient on the whole last year, allowing the eighth-fewest points (20.4) and 12th-fewest yards per game (326.7), but the cracks started to show deeper into the campaign.

Entering the offseason, the Steelers' biggest positions of need were the interior of the defensive line and cornerback. They addressed the former by selecting Derrick Harmon and Yahya Black in the first and fifth rounds of the 2025 NFL Draft, respectively, before signing Slay and trading for Ramsey to fulfill the latter.

Though Watt's contract situation remains unresolved, the expectation remains that he and Pittsburgh will eventually come to terms on an extension. With Highsmith and Nick Herbig also in tow, the Steelers boast one of the league's deepest, and most talented, edge rusher rooms.

Heyward, who's coming off a first-team All-Pro season, and Keeanu Benton should wreak havoc up front as well. Behind them is the Steelers' group of inside linebackers, which is headlined by Queen and Wilson, the latter of whom is in line for a major leap heading into his sophomore campaign.

Porter joins Slay and Ramsey as Pittsburgh's formidable cornerback trio, while safety DeShon Elliott will look to repeat the career year he had in 2024 that led to a two-year, $12.25 million extension this offseason.

The Steelers could potentially upgrade their second safety spot now that Fitzpatrick's gone, but if Juan Thornhill is the weakest link on your defense, than you're probably in a pretty good spot all things considered.

Pittsburgh has prided itself on having stout defenses for a long time running, and that should remain the case in 2025.