Pittsburgh Steelers training camp: Can the defense be even better than it was in 2023?

Training camp opens in Latrobe, PA on Thursday and the Steelers have added talent to an already talented defense.

In the off-season, Pittsburgh signed 24-year-old inside linebacker (he turns 25 in August) Patrick Queen to a three-year, $41 million dollar deal. Pittsburgh also brought in two new cornerbacks, Donte Jackson–in a trade with Carolina, and a familiar face in Cameron Sutton, who will be suspended the first eight games of the season. Draft Nation takes a look at each unit and how they look heading into training camp.

Defensive Line

• DE- Larry Ogunjobi
• DE- Isaiahh Loudermilk
• DE- DeMarvin Leal
• NT- Keeanu Benton
• NT- Montravious Adams
• NT- Breiden Fehoko
• NT- Jonathan Marshall
• DT- Cameron Heyward
• DT- Dean Lowry
• DT- Logan Lee

The defensive line is the achilles heel of the defense, and it may just be the beginning of the problems. Veteran Cameron Heyward is 35-years-old and entering the last year of his contract. Pittsburgh’s depth behind Heyward is lacking, although they did use a 6th round pick on Logan Lee out of Iowa and signed ex-Vikings player Dean Lowry to a two-year deal. A big decision will need to be made on whether or not they try to extend the aging Heyward, or try to find a free agent to fill in next off-season.

Keeanu Benton stepped in as a rookie last season and played with speed and physicality and appears to be a long term starter at the nose tackle position. Benton, a second-round pick in the 2023 draft, will start, with veteran Montravious Adams adding some depth if Benton were to go down with an injury. On the other side the Steelers paid a hefty price to bring back veteran Larry Ogunjobi (three-year, $28.75 million) and will need consistent production out of him, because the depth at the position is questionable at best. Two past draft picks: Isaiahh Loudermilk (Fifth-round /2021) and DeMarvin Leal (Third round /2022) have not shown much in terms of production and the team needs at least one of those two to start performing. 

Draft Nation expects the Pittsburgh Steelers to be active in trying to bring in some depth for the defensive line before week one.

Biggest Questions?

• Will the Steelers resign Cameron Heyward, or go outside the organization?
• Will Isaiahh Loudermilk or DeMarvin Leal start to produce?

Linebackers

• T.J. Watt
• Patrick Queen
• Elandon Roberts
• Alex Highsmith
• Nick Herbig
• Payton Wilson
• Cole Holcomb
• Kyron Johnson
• Mark Robinson
• Tyler Matakevich

The Steelers have added to an already talented group of linebackers, by signing Patrick Queen from the Baltimore Ravens and drafting a potential superstar at inside linebacker in Payton Wilson out of N.C. State. With Cole Holcomb looking like he may miss at least the beginning of the season, signing Queen and drafting Wilson will go a long way to helping out with the overall depth at the inside linebacker position.

On the outside, T.J. Watt and Alex Highsmith are on the shortlist of the best combos in the NFL. Last year’s fourth-round pick Nick Herbig will add some depth to the outside and he showed in his limited action that he can be a difference maker. If this unit stays healthy this could be one of the NFL’s top linebacking corps.

Biggest Questions?

• How much will Cole Holcomb be able to play in 2024,if at all?
• Does Payton Wilson become a starting inside linebacker by the end of the season?

Defensive Backs

• CB- Joey Porter, Jr.
• CB- Donte Jackson
• CB- Cory Trice, Jr.
• CB- Darius Rush
• CB- Anthony Averett
• CB- Cameron Sutton (SUS)
• S- Minkah Fitzpatrick
• S- DeShon Elliott
• S- Damontae Kazee 
• S- Miles Killebrew
• S- Ryan Watts
• NB- Josiah Scott
• NB- Grayland Arnold
• NB- Beanie Bishop, Jr.

Last season Levi Wallace and Patrick Peterson were the starting cornerbacks heading into the season. This season the Steelers will start second-year cornerback Joey Porter, Jr. and Donte Jackson, who they traded wide receiver Diontae Johnson to Carolina to obtain. Porter has the ability to shut down receivers, even though he may be called for a penalty or two in doing so.

Porter has the length and skill to take on each opponent’s No. 1 receiver. The Steelers are also hoping to get back last season’s training camp star–Cory Trice Jr.. Trice, is a 6-foot-3 cornerback out of Purdue who was the talk of camp and said to be a leading candidate for the nickelback position. The seventh-round pick’s season ended with a torn ACL in preseason, and Pittsburgh is hoping he can come back healthy and make a contribution in 2024. Darius Rush, a fifth-round pick in 2023 by Indianapolis was signed by the Steelers early last season and should add some depth to the corner position. Pittsburgh brought back a familiar face in Cameron Sutton, but knowing he will have to serve a suspension. Recently the NFL announced that he will miss the first eight games of the 2024 season. The Steelers will look for Darius Rush, Anthony Averett, or potentially somebody else to step up and fill the corner-slot role until Sutton is active.

The Steelers have announced that they want to free up Minkah Fitzpatrick in a way that will allow him to roam more and become the playmaker that he was early in his career. In order for this to happen, Pittsburgh will need DeShon Elliott to step up and perform at a higher level. Behind Fitzpatrick and Elliott is Damontae Kazee and Miles Killebrew, so health once again is going to be paramount with Fitzpatrick. A unique signing the Steelers made after the draft is Beanie Bishop, Jr. out of West Virginia. Bishop is only 5-foot-9 but ran a 4.39 at his pro day and could be an option in nickel and dime packages.

Biggest Questions?

• Will Joey Porter Jr. become that shutdown cornerback that Pittsburgh envisions?
• Will Darius Rush become a contributor in the Steelers secondary?