I stopped rooting for the Steelers some 34 years ago, after Chuck Noll resigned (he was pushed out actually) and the then young super-wigger Bill Cowher replaced him and quickly modeled the team after the blackest ones in the league at the time. Cowher, who mellowed some in his rabid favoritism toward black players in his final years, was then replaced by the Crown Prince for Life of the Rooney Rule, Mike Tomlin, who has been more of the same – until now. For the first time since the 1989 squad, led by QB Bubby Brister and RB Merrill Hoge, I’m going to become somewhat of a Steelers fan again.
New starting QB Aaron Rodgers is one of the very best in NFL history, and after two seasons with the horrific Jets organization he wants to have at least one more impressive season, which includes getting the Steelers to the playoffs and winning at least one game, before he quits. Rodgers turns 42 in December and only Tom Brady among QBs continued to play at an elite level at that age, so whether Aaron can also is one of the big questions of the new season, not just for Pittsburgh but for Rodgers fans everywhere. The Steelers haven’t won a playoff game since after the 2016 season and have been blown out in their recent appearances while mired in a seemingly endless stretch of 9-8 mediocrity, so it would be great if Rodgers helps turn that around in the twilight of his career.
Rodgers replaces the less than dynamic duo of Russell Wilson and Justin Fields, who both started parts of the ’24 season and are now on other teams. Mason Rudolph was re-signed to back up Rodgers. Rudolph has starting ability but has never been treated exactly fairly by Tomlin, much like Kenny Pickett was driven out of town after two seasons, but at this point in his career Rudolph is ensconced as a backup and is comfortable in Pittsbugh, and indeed led the team to the playoffs down the stretch of the ’23 season before they were blown out by the Bills in the first round.
Very under-rated Will Howard, who led Ohio State to the national championship, ridiculously lasted until the sixth round of the draft this year before the Steelers smartly took him. He starts the new season on IR after breaking a finger on his throwing hand but should have a shot at succeeding Rodgers after he hangs ‘em up.
The 2025 Pittsburgh Steelers begin the new season with 6 White starters and a semi-amazing 19 Whites on the roster, the latter number the most since some point in Noll’s reign circa 1978 or so.
More than Tomlin “seeing the light,” the biggest factor in the team’s different direction toward being relatively White friendly is GM Omar Khan, who has overseen the organization’s past three drafts, replacing long-time Caste Clown Kevin Colbert, who regularly produced all-black drafts or close to it. Khan’s father is Indian (from India) and his mother is Honduran, so he is neither white nor black.
While continuing to draft black busts at tackle and many defensive positions, the Steelers last year selected center Zach Frazier out of WVU in the second round, a bullseye choice who should anchor the line for many seasons. Starting RG Mason McCormick out of South Dakota State went in the fourth round and he too became a competent starter as a rookie. Whites are never hyped as “NFL ready” yet so many are, which makes the league’s long-standing practice of forcing many White players to undergo “racial apprenticeships” even more despicable.
Ryan McCollum backs up Frazier; veteran Max Scharping is McCormick’s backup.
Pat Freiermuth starts at tight end, but has been joined by Jonnu Smith after the Steelers traded safety Minkah Fitzpatrick back to the Dolphins for Smith and CB Jalen Ramsey. Smith was taken by the Titans in the third round back in 2017 and last year was the first time he realized his “upside” as he admittedly played very well. Most “experts” and DWFs expect Smith to surpass Freiermuth as a target of Rodgers this season, so that will be another interesting dynamic to watch. My guess is that Freiermuth will have the better numbers.
WRs Scotty Miller and Ben Skowronek both made the 53 again. Skowronek figures to be used mostly as a WSTD who gets the occasional reception. Miller the speedster is one of the team’s two listed punt returners, while how often he’s used as a receiver could be one of a number of outcomes, from rarely to quite often. Besides newly acquired D. K. Metcalf, the clear number one WR, tiny Calvin Austin is currently listed as the second starter, while Miller will start the season competing with unproven and oft-injured Roman Wilson for snaps.
The Steelers have one of the White friendliest defenses in the league, with two White starters and five others. Of the seven total, six are edge rushers and inside linebackers, an extremely high total for the NFL in the 21st century.
The great T. J. Watt plays LOLB, though the team is committed to moving him around a lot more this year after he was stuffed too often in recent years by double and triple teams. Watt himself had been resistant to the move but now sees that it’s in his and the team's best interests to keep offenses guessing a bit. He is headed directly to Canton after his career ends. His impact and talent are best illustrated by this statistic – during his career the Steelers are 79-44-2 when Watt plays and 1-11 in games he’s missed. Enough said.
Second year linebacker Payton Wilson will start inside this year after playing part-time his rookie year. He was another steal by the team, not drafted until the third round in ’24 even after being the best college linebacker in the country playing for NC State. Wilson won the Chuck Bednarik Award in ’23, which honors the best defensive player in our fair land, but the excuse given for him not being drafted earlier was his knee issues, including reportedly having no ACL in one of them, yet Steelers greats Hines Ward and James Harrison both played with no ACL and were very durable. Look for Wilson to be a tackle machine this season and also make some “splash plays,” which the media regards more highly than huge tackle numbers.
Cole Holcomb has worked very hard to come back from a serious knee injury midway through 2023 that cost him the rest of that season and all of 2024. He looked great in training camp and now backs up Wilson and the over-rated Patrick Queen, who ludicrously made the league’s annual Top 100 list despite being not a bust but a disappointment for much of his career.
The White defensive talent doesn’t stop there. Edge rusher Nick Herbig is excellent and would start for many teams but on Pittsburgh he backs up Alex Highsmith who is quite good.
Jack Sawyer, another Buckeye drafted this year, looked great in preseason games. Taken in the third round, he was yet another steal by the Kahn regime.
Carson Bruener, son of long-time tight end fixture Mark Bruener, made the active roster as a seventh round draft pick after many thought he’d end up on the practice squad. Logan Lee, a tackle drafted last year who missed the season on IR, also made the 53.
An all-time great at QB, two White receivers, lots of very talented young defensive talent, nearly 20 White players on the roster thanks to shrewd drafting, all of this is heady stuff for long-time observers of the Steelers. Now we’ll see how it plays out.
QB: Aaron Rodgers Mason Rudolph Skylar Thompson
C: Zach Frazier Ryan McCollum
RG: Mason McCormick Max Scharping
TE: Pat Freiermuth
WR: Scotty Miller, Ben Skowronek
LOLB: T. J. Watt Jack Sawyer
RILB: Payton Wilson Cole Holcomb Carson Bruener
ROLB: Nick Herbig
T: Logan Lee
K: Chris Boswell (was the best in the league last year)
LS: Christian Kuntz
(Miller is one of the team's punt returners)
Practice Squad: TE J.J. Galbreath, RB Max Hurleman (can play a multitude of positions if he ever gets an opportunity), LB Julius Welschof, LB Jon Rhattigan
IR: QB Will Howard, DT Dean Lowry, DT Jacob Slade
Number of White Starters: 6
Number of Whites on the 53: 19
Grade: D+/C-
New starting QB Aaron Rodgers is one of the very best in NFL history, and after two seasons with the horrific Jets organization he wants to have at least one more impressive season, which includes getting the Steelers to the playoffs and winning at least one game, before he quits. Rodgers turns 42 in December and only Tom Brady among QBs continued to play at an elite level at that age, so whether Aaron can also is one of the big questions of the new season, not just for Pittsburgh but for Rodgers fans everywhere. The Steelers haven’t won a playoff game since after the 2016 season and have been blown out in their recent appearances while mired in a seemingly endless stretch of 9-8 mediocrity, so it would be great if Rodgers helps turn that around in the twilight of his career.
Rodgers replaces the less than dynamic duo of Russell Wilson and Justin Fields, who both started parts of the ’24 season and are now on other teams. Mason Rudolph was re-signed to back up Rodgers. Rudolph has starting ability but has never been treated exactly fairly by Tomlin, much like Kenny Pickett was driven out of town after two seasons, but at this point in his career Rudolph is ensconced as a backup and is comfortable in Pittsbugh, and indeed led the team to the playoffs down the stretch of the ’23 season before they were blown out by the Bills in the first round.
Very under-rated Will Howard, who led Ohio State to the national championship, ridiculously lasted until the sixth round of the draft this year before the Steelers smartly took him. He starts the new season on IR after breaking a finger on his throwing hand but should have a shot at succeeding Rodgers after he hangs ‘em up.
The 2025 Pittsburgh Steelers begin the new season with 6 White starters and a semi-amazing 19 Whites on the roster, the latter number the most since some point in Noll’s reign circa 1978 or so.
More than Tomlin “seeing the light,” the biggest factor in the team’s different direction toward being relatively White friendly is GM Omar Khan, who has overseen the organization’s past three drafts, replacing long-time Caste Clown Kevin Colbert, who regularly produced all-black drafts or close to it. Khan’s father is Indian (from India) and his mother is Honduran, so he is neither white nor black.
While continuing to draft black busts at tackle and many defensive positions, the Steelers last year selected center Zach Frazier out of WVU in the second round, a bullseye choice who should anchor the line for many seasons. Starting RG Mason McCormick out of South Dakota State went in the fourth round and he too became a competent starter as a rookie. Whites are never hyped as “NFL ready” yet so many are, which makes the league’s long-standing practice of forcing many White players to undergo “racial apprenticeships” even more despicable.
Ryan McCollum backs up Frazier; veteran Max Scharping is McCormick’s backup.
Pat Freiermuth starts at tight end, but has been joined by Jonnu Smith after the Steelers traded safety Minkah Fitzpatrick back to the Dolphins for Smith and CB Jalen Ramsey. Smith was taken by the Titans in the third round back in 2017 and last year was the first time he realized his “upside” as he admittedly played very well. Most “experts” and DWFs expect Smith to surpass Freiermuth as a target of Rodgers this season, so that will be another interesting dynamic to watch. My guess is that Freiermuth will have the better numbers.
WRs Scotty Miller and Ben Skowronek both made the 53 again. Skowronek figures to be used mostly as a WSTD who gets the occasional reception. Miller the speedster is one of the team’s two listed punt returners, while how often he’s used as a receiver could be one of a number of outcomes, from rarely to quite often. Besides newly acquired D. K. Metcalf, the clear number one WR, tiny Calvin Austin is currently listed as the second starter, while Miller will start the season competing with unproven and oft-injured Roman Wilson for snaps.
The Steelers have one of the White friendliest defenses in the league, with two White starters and five others. Of the seven total, six are edge rushers and inside linebackers, an extremely high total for the NFL in the 21st century.
The great T. J. Watt plays LOLB, though the team is committed to moving him around a lot more this year after he was stuffed too often in recent years by double and triple teams. Watt himself had been resistant to the move but now sees that it’s in his and the team's best interests to keep offenses guessing a bit. He is headed directly to Canton after his career ends. His impact and talent are best illustrated by this statistic – during his career the Steelers are 79-44-2 when Watt plays and 1-11 in games he’s missed. Enough said.
Second year linebacker Payton Wilson will start inside this year after playing part-time his rookie year. He was another steal by the team, not drafted until the third round in ’24 even after being the best college linebacker in the country playing for NC State. Wilson won the Chuck Bednarik Award in ’23, which honors the best defensive player in our fair land, but the excuse given for him not being drafted earlier was his knee issues, including reportedly having no ACL in one of them, yet Steelers greats Hines Ward and James Harrison both played with no ACL and were very durable. Look for Wilson to be a tackle machine this season and also make some “splash plays,” which the media regards more highly than huge tackle numbers.
Cole Holcomb has worked very hard to come back from a serious knee injury midway through 2023 that cost him the rest of that season and all of 2024. He looked great in training camp and now backs up Wilson and the over-rated Patrick Queen, who ludicrously made the league’s annual Top 100 list despite being not a bust but a disappointment for much of his career.
The White defensive talent doesn’t stop there. Edge rusher Nick Herbig is excellent and would start for many teams but on Pittsburgh he backs up Alex Highsmith who is quite good.
Jack Sawyer, another Buckeye drafted this year, looked great in preseason games. Taken in the third round, he was yet another steal by the Kahn regime.
Carson Bruener, son of long-time tight end fixture Mark Bruener, made the active roster as a seventh round draft pick after many thought he’d end up on the practice squad. Logan Lee, a tackle drafted last year who missed the season on IR, also made the 53.
An all-time great at QB, two White receivers, lots of very talented young defensive talent, nearly 20 White players on the roster thanks to shrewd drafting, all of this is heady stuff for long-time observers of the Steelers. Now we’ll see how it plays out.
QB: Aaron Rodgers Mason Rudolph Skylar Thompson
C: Zach Frazier Ryan McCollum
RG: Mason McCormick Max Scharping
TE: Pat Freiermuth
WR: Scotty Miller, Ben Skowronek
LOLB: T. J. Watt Jack Sawyer
RILB: Payton Wilson Cole Holcomb Carson Bruener
ROLB: Nick Herbig
T: Logan Lee
K: Chris Boswell (was the best in the league last year)
LS: Christian Kuntz
(Miller is one of the team's punt returners)
Practice Squad: TE J.J. Galbreath, RB Max Hurleman (can play a multitude of positions if he ever gets an opportunity), LB Julius Welschof, LB Jon Rhattigan
IR: QB Will Howard, DT Dean Lowry, DT Jacob Slade
Number of White Starters: 6
Number of Whites on the 53: 19
Grade: D+/C-
