It’s been seven long months, but we finally have some real life football to talk about. Or at least as close to real as preseason games can get. The Steelers played the Jaguars over the weekend and gave us our first look at the roster in action. Several starters did not play, of course, but we got glimpses of several newcomers and the Steelers emerged from Jacksonville with a 31-25 victory.
This week, Read & React shares some observations from Week 1 of the preseason and takes stock of the roster battles to follow for the next couple of weeks.
With the Steelers’ first preseason game in the books, there’s finally some new football to talk about. What stood out to you?
RB: For some post-game snap reactions, I’ll plug my
weekly takeaways column if you haven’t checked it out already. I had over 2,000 words worth of thoughts then, so I’ll try not to double down on anything I already wrote.
But now, the all-22 has been released from the game, giving me a chance to re-watch some plays and get a better idea of the Steelers’ trench play and schematics. And sure enough, I saw (or confirmed) some new things worth getting excited about.
But first, I’ll give the floor to Ryan, who hasn’t had the chance to publish his thoughts on the Steelers’ preseason opener yet. What stood out to you?
RP: Thanks, Ryland. When I look at preseason games, I mostly focus on individual performances. During these games, teams are mostly running vanilla concepts, and we don’t often see extended periods of play from expected starters. While we can pick up some impressions about position group battles and other team trends, there’s also a reason why the stars of the preseason are usually afterthoughts once the regular season is in full swing.
Saturday’s game left me with three players whom I wanted to discuss, in part because they should end up with important roles this season. We’ll talk about Brandin Echols a little later on, so I’d like to use this space to talk about a couple of trench players.
Let’s start with a Steeler we both felt optimistic about following the game: rookie fifth-rounder, Yahya (why-yay) Black.
This week Steelers Read & React will be discussing what big takeways jumped out at us from the first preseason game.
Pittsburgh might have found a gem in the 5th round
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— Ryan Parish (@RyanParishmedia)
August 11, 2025
From our pre-production discussion above, I think it’s pretty clear how Ryland and I felt about the former Hawkeye’s debut performance.
Black is a massive individual (6’6, 335 pounds), whose ability to stack and shed offensive linemen makes him an asset defending the run. That was clearly a point of emphasis for the Steelers this offseason when we look at the collective moves they have made.
However, what impressed me most on Saturday was Black’s ability to generate pressure with a combo of speed and power. Black isn’t winning any 40-yard dash contests, but his short-area burst popped on tape, revealing the rookie is quicker than he might initially appear. And when he wasn’t able to create pressure on the quarterback, Black did a good job of getting his arms up and into the throwing lane.
Black didn’t show a particularly complex or diverse set of pass rush moves, but that isn’t necessarily a bad thing. Future Hall of Famer Von Miller recently talked about how rush moves have
become overrated when we discuss the art of getting to the passer. Miller points out that usually the biggest and/or fastest players tend to win more battles than not when push comes to shove.
Fortunately for the Steelers, those seem to be strengths of Black.
Against Jacksonville, Black lined up all along the line, showing his alignment versatility. In the first clip, he lines up on the outside shoulder of the left guard (3-tech in the B-gap) but shoots through the gap between the guard and center (A-gap) to create enough pressure in the quarterback’s face to cause an errant throw.
Steelers 5th-round rookie Yahya Black (78) was drafted to stop the run, but he showed promise as a pash rusher in limited snaps during the first week of the preseason. Going against backups here, but if he can move starting OL like this, he's gonna have a bright future.
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— Ryan Parish (@RyanParishmedia)
August 12, 2025
In the second clip, Black lines up closer to the inside shoulder of the right tackle (4i-tech) prior to the snap. The tackle and guard slide right at the snap, meaning the guard begins to engage with Black. Initially, the guard seems to be positioned well, getting underneath Black, but Black actually wins the hand placement battle, getting his hands to the guard’s chest and setting him up for a swipe move that sends the offensive lineman stumbling to the right and allows the Steelers’ rookie defender a path to the quarterback.
In clip three, Black lines up shading the left guard’s inside shoulder (2i-tech). Once again, the guard appears to get the lower pad level, but Black wins the leverage battle by once again getting his arms inside the blocker’s and straight to the chest. Black uses the blocker’s own momentum against him to one again swipe, shed, and come barrelling down the middle right into the quarterback’s face.
And in our last clip, Black looks like he’s lining up on the left guard’s outside shoulder, but shifts to the inside shoulder pre-snap. While Black doesn’t get near the passer, he does manage to get in the way of the outside tackle, allowing the Steelers’ edge rusher Julius Welschof to loop his rush inside. All of this led to the quarterback speeding up his process and throwing a pass that Black nearly gets one of his mitts on and that is nearly intercepted by Echols.
PFF grades certainly aren’t gospel, but Black’s performance earned him an 82.0 grade in pass rush. That was the best grade on the Steelers for the game, and the eighth best among NFL interior defensive linemen.
Black didn’t practice Tuesday and was seen with a wrap around his arm. Here’s hoping the rookie was just given an off day as a precaution.
It’s far too early to project how successful Black’s career will be, but if you’re a draft nerd like Ryland and I are, you love to see a player you were high on show flashes when given a chance. I’m very excited to see how Black continues to develop this season.
My post-draft clarity take: Steelers fans are gonna spend a lot of time getting excited about Will Howard this summer, but Yahya Black is the Day 3 pick I think could be a multi-contract player for PIT
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— Ryan Parish (@RyanParishmedia)
April 29, 2025
But Black didn’t just shine as a pass rusher. Ryland, what did you see from the rookie against the run?
RB: As an addendum to Ryan’s breakdown, I’ll note that Black was known as more of a one-dimensional run stuffer coming out of college. I was a big fan of his tape, but when putting together his pre-draft profile in March I still wrote that he “offers little as a pass-rusher.”
So, Black having so many promising reps in that aspect of the game despite playing just nine (!!) defensive snaps on Saturday is rather newsworthy and a testament to the coaching ability of Karl Dunbar,
who seemed thrilled at the Steelers’ D-line double dip in the 2025 draft.
Of course, nine snaps also means we’re not crowning him as anything yet, even if Black seems like a roster lock at this point.
But he was also the Steelers’ best defender on Saturday.
I mean, here’s his first career snap in the black and gold:
Yahya Black's first snap as a Steeler
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— Ryland Bickley (@_Ryland_B)
August 13, 2025
As Ryan points out, sometimes it just comes down to who’s the biggest and strongest, and in this case, it’s clearly Black. He bullies Jaguars’ starting right tackle Anton Harrison on the back side of this zone run. He’s in control the entire rep and shows some good lateral mobility to follow the run and engulf Travis Etienne for a minimal gain.
Here’s his second rep of run defense:
Run defense snap No. 2
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— Ryland Bickley (@_Ryland_B)
August 13, 2025
The way Black can pilot attempted blockers on one-on-ones is a treat to watch. Here, his absurd 35” arms get to right guard Jonah Monheim’s chest, and the latter doesn’t have the length to counter. (Black’s hand usage actually looks a bit high here, but the point stands).
Black sets himself up to easily two-gap Monheim, helping force the run inside, and then quickly sheds inside to make the tackle with a nice hustle play.
…And that’s it for Black’s run defense opportunities against Jacksonville: just two reps. But they were a part of about as great of a nine-snap debut as it gets in the preseason. Again, it’s still very early in Black’s career, but I couldn’t be more excited for his future.
However, he wasn’t the only young Steeler to shine in the trenches against Jacksonville.
RP: I was also encouraged by the early showing of right tackle Troy Fautanu. Fautanu is essentially a rookie after missing the majority of the 2024 season with a knee injury. With Broderick Jones’ streaky and inconsistent play top of mind for Steelers fans, Pittsburgh’s other first-round tackle must play up to his pedigree.
We’ll call the first preseason game a step in the right direction.
In the first clip below, the line shifts left at the snap. Fautanu does an astounding job of using his outside arm to extend and redirect defensive end Travon Walker into the blocking radius of tight end Darnell Washington, who is giving up inside leverage at the snap because of how Jacksonville was aligned.
Fautanu simultaneously buys time for Washington to get in position and uses the arm he has on Walker to push off and get into the chest of linebacker Foyesade Oluokun. Quarterback Mason Rudolph would have been kept completely clean on the play if not for tight end Connor Heyward’s continued struggles as a blocker.
Steelers RT Troy Fautanu is someone the Steelers need to play well if they are gonna to make a playoff run. Had several matchups against former No. 1 pick Travon Walker (44), who has had 20.5 sacks over the past 2 seasons.
Early results are encouraging for the redshirt rookie
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— Ryan Parish (@RyanParishmedia)
August 12, 2025
In the next clip, Fautanu kicks outside quickly and smoothly at the snap to keep Walker wide. Walker does begin to drive him back near the end of the rep, but Fautanu had already bought the quarterback enough time to get the ball out. It’s the same story in the third clip, only this time Fautanu does a better job of anchoring and stonewalls Walker, allowing Rudloph to find Washington for the touchdown.
Keeping Aaron Rodgers clean is a huge priority, and Fautanu continues to show the promise we saw glimpses of in 2024. I’m increasingly optimistic about his ability to protect the passer from the right side, if he can just remain healthy enough to play.
What did you see in the run game, Ryland?
RB: Like my Yahya Black analysis, I have only three plays of Fautanu’s to break down in the run game. And once again, while the sample size is small, the vibes are very good.
The first rep is just an outside zone run where Fautanu is tasked with blocking the back side defender and looks fine. It’s not worth clipping as the run went the other way.
The second, however, is a bit more juicy. It’s third and four, and the Steelers – a notoriously not-good short-yardage team last year – decide to try to pound their way to a first down with Kaleb Johnson.
Good stuff from Troy Fautanu to convert this third and four
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— Ryland Bickley (@_Ryland_B)
August 13, 2025
It’s an inside zone run that’s blocked OK at best from the Steelers offense. On the play-side, Ben Skowronek puts up a good fight but is hanging on for dear life against a defensive end. Mason McCormick wins early with the combo block but can’t sustain.
It’s Fautanu, and some nice leg churn from Kaleb Johnson, that makes this work.
The right tackle first helps McCormick move defensive tackle Austin Johnson out of the way with a shove, before quickly pivoting to move linebacker Foye Oluokun out of the way in the second level and clear the way for some additional yards. It’s a great showing of the awareness, athleticism, and effort Fautanu brings to the table – I’m a big fan of the controlled violence he bases his game on.
On the third and final run-blocking rep, Fautanu helps spring Johnson for a seven-yard gain on second and two.
Nice sustain here
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— Ryland Bickley (@_Ryland_B)
August 13, 2025
He and McCormick once again combine for a successful double team, but this time it’s the guard who moves onto the second level. However, Fautanu does a great job sustaining his block on Johnson, taking him completely out of a play with good leverage, grip, and upper-body strength.
Johnson provides the pièce de résistance, slamming second-overall pick Travis Hunter to the ground as he turns the corner.
The jury is still out on this Steelers’ O-line as a whole, but I’m confident that the team has found two long-term studs in Zach Frazier and Fautanu assuming both stay healthy.
A few more all-22 thoughts:
- The vast majority of blame for Kaleb Johnson’s 2.5 yards per carry is on the run blocking of the Steelers’ second string O-line.
- Broderick Jones had a good day overall, but there were still some definite ups and downs in his pass-blocking. Looking back at Ryan’s cut-up of Fautanu pass-blocking, particularly the third rep, you can see a clear difference in each tackle’s technique.
- Although Chuck Clark is generally seen as a box safety and Juan Thornhill a center-fielder, both played a good bit of each against the Jaguars. The Steelers are emphasizing versatility.
- A lot of interior D-line stunts from the Steelers.
- Pittsburgh didn’t exactly throw a ton of exotic looks out there on defense, but communication as a whole looked good (see Ryan’s clip with the Echols/Bishop coverage handoff below).
What’s a position battle you’ll be keeping an eye on the rest of the summer?
RB: My real answer here is wide receiver. The WR5 battle, while hardly a pivotal one for the Steelers’ 2025, ramped up in Week 1 of the preseason with multiple names having impressive games.
But I covered that already in my takeaways column, and don’t have much to add on that front beyond the all-22 angle of Ke’Shawn Williams’ first big grab of the night.
Ke'Shawn Williams
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— Ryland Bickley (@_Ryland_B)
August 13, 2025
Instead, I’ll pivot and look at the defensive line. The Steelers seem to have four locks here: Cam Heyward, Keeanu Benton, Derrick Harmon, and Yahya Black.
But last year, they kept eight on the initial 53. I’d expect that number to drop to seven or six as the team is near-guaranteed to keep four outside linebackers on the roster this time around in 2025.
However, of the names fighting for those remaining spots – Isaiahh Loudermilk, Daniel Ekuale, Logan Lee, Esezi Otomewo, Breiden Fehoko, etc. – no one really flashed on Saturday.
There are certainly backup-caliber names in that list above, and given that the Steelers play just two down linemen a lot in their sub package-heavy defense, I’m hardly worried about the depth. But while I think Loudermilk and Ekuale have an early edge in the roster battle, it’s truly wide open and could develop into a fun one to watch.
Nice job splitting the gap from Esezi Otomewo (No. 72)
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— Ryland Bickley (@_Ryland_B)
August 13, 2025
RP: The Steelers will need to improve on offense to find playoff success, but for them to truly contend, their defense needs to play at an elite level. Much has been made about how the Steelers have allocated funds to that side of the ball, and for good reason. The Steelers have committed to a gritty style of play that doesn’t allow much room for error. To win close games, the defense needs to actually keep the game close.
For the Steelers, the prime culprit in last season’s second-half spiral was the secondary. Blown assignments and freelancing in coverage, poor pursuit angles, and even poorer tackling led to an embarrassing December and a brief January. There were issues up front, sure, but there were even more on the backend.
Pittsburgh has completely revamped its secondary for 2025. Gone are safety Minkah Fitzpatrick and corner Donte Jackson. In are Jalen Ramsey, Darius Slay, and Juan Thornhill. Those three are presumed starters, assuming the
foot injury Slay appeared to suffer at practice Monday remains minor. Ramsey is projected as the starting nickel, though the team has hinted he will move around to various spots in the secondary. This could include playing boundary corner or in a safety role on certain plays.
Both Slay, 34, and Ramsey, 31 in October, remain above-average corners, but there will likely be bumps and bruises during the long NFL season. Ramsey was healthy last year, but missed seven games in 2023. Slay missed three games in 2024 and five in 2023. Thornhill missed six games in each of his two seasons in Cleveland. How the secondary depth behind them shakes out is important.
At safety, Thornhill, DeShon Elliott, and special teams ace Miles Killebrew seem like locks for the roster. Will the Steelers carry five safeties, or is the final spot a battle between veteran Chuck Clark, undrafted rookie Sebastian Castro, and third-year journeyman Quindell Johnson?
At corner, Ramsey, Slay, Joey Porter Jr. and free agent signing Echols seem like locks for the top four spots. Echols had a solid Steelers debut against Jacksonville, nearly picking off one pass — seen in the clips of Yahya Black above — and laying a solid tackle for loss on a wide receiver screen.
Nice diagnosis and tackle from Echols here
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— Ryan Parish (@RyanParishmedia)
August 12, 2025
For the game, PFF gave Echols good marks in tackling (72.8), coverage (78.9), and defense overall (77.9). Echols has inside-outside versatility, but has performed best on the outside in his career. While the Jaguars didn’t throw anything too complex at him — they were too busy trying to pick on Beanie Bishop Jr. with their star rookie Travis Hunter — seeing the sound tackling Echols brought was a nice breath of fresh air after last season.
In recent years, the Steelers have fluctuated between rostering five or six cornerbacks on the active roster. If we assume the top four I mentioned previously are locks, that leaves one or two roster spots for Bishop Jr., Corey Trice Jr, James Pierre, and rookies Donte Kent and Daryl Porter.
The secondary is far from settled.
Join in on Steelers R&R by sharing your takes on this week’s topics. Who are your biggest standouts from Saturday’s preseason opener? Any camp battles you’re still looking forward to? Feel free to pitch future questions in the comment section or on Twitter/X: tag @_Ryland_B or @RyanParishMedia, or email us at [email protected].
