The Pittsburgh Steelers entered the 2025 preseason with more questions than answers.
With roster spots up for grabs and several new faces looking to make an impact, August became less about results and more about evaluation. Each game offered insight into who was ready to contribute — and who still had work to do.
Looking back, the preseason didn’t just shape the roster. It revealed early risers, exposed inconsistencies, and helped define the depth chart heading into the regular season.
Fast start: Playmakers emerge against Jacksonville
The Steelers opened the preseason with a strong performance against the Jacksonville Jaguars, and several players wasted no time making their presence felt. Quarterback play was steady, but the real story came from the supporting cast. Young receivers and depth options took advantage of extended reps, while the running game showed signs of life behind a retooled offensive line.
Despite limited snaps, Rudolph delivered an efficient outing, throwing for 84 yards and a touchdown while maintaining rhythm and control throughout his drives. He was 9-of-10 on passing for the day before being pulled after the second series.
His highlight came on a well-placed 17-yard strike to tight end Darnell Washington, threading the ball between defenders for the score and demonstrating his ability to capitalize on red zone opportunities.
Defensively, Pittsburgh’s front dictated the tone early. Pressure up front disrupted Jacksonville’s rhythm, while the secondary capitalized on opportunities to make plays on the ball.
At the time, the biggest takeaway wasn’t just the win — it was the number of players forcing their way into the conversation for roster spots.
Surprise playmakers
That Jaguars game also produced several surprises that carried through the rest of the preseason. Unheralded players stepped up in key moments, turning limited opportunities into strong cases for inclusion on the final roster. Whether it was receivers creating separation, backs finding tough yards, or defenders flashing in rotational roles, the competition quickly intensified.
Max Hurleman, a relative unknown throughout camp thus far, hauled in three catches for 47 yards and a touchdown. He emerged as a dependable option for Skylar Thompson throughout the game.
No player benefited more from this game than Skylar Thompson, who saw his playing time extend to nearly three full quarters after rookie Will Howard—his primary competition for the starting job—was sidelined early due to injury.
Thompson took advantage of the situation, as he threw for 233 yards and three touchdowns, showing poise and precision—especially on deep strikes to Ke’Shawn Williams and Max Hurleman.
These performances didn’t just create buzz — they applied pressure to established players further up the depth chart. Looking back, this stretch of preseason action helped shape some of the toughest roster decisions the coaching staff would face.
A step back against Tampa Bay
Momentum slowed in a preseason loss to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, where execution wasn’t nearly as sharp due to sitting many of their starters. Offensive drives stalled at times, consistency became an issue, and mistakes proved costly in key situations. Defensively, there were still flashes, but the overall performance lacked the same edge seen in the opener.
While the Steelers run game had been criticized for not being very effective in the first preseason game, it took a step forward against the Bucs.
Former Iowa rusher Kaleb Johnson had, according to the game broadcasters, been encouraged by offensive coordinator Arthur Smith and Pittsburgh’s coaching staff to be more patient. He played with greater vision and allowed his blockers to set up ahead of him. Once he squirted to the next level, Johnson showed the burst and ability to work around defenders he was known for in college.
Fellow rookie Derrick Harmon also showed up against Tampa Bay. Fans have been waiting to see the Steelers’ first-round pick in the 2025 NFL Draft feed, and in the second quarter Harmon bulldozed the Bucs’ left guard straight off the line, backwards, into quarterback Kyle Trask and still grabbed a big third down sack.
The Steelers allowed a go-ahead field goal to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers that resulted in a 17-14 loss.
Closing out with confidence
The Steelers responded in their preseason finale, putting together a more complete performance to close out the 2025 NFL preseason with a 19-10 win over the Carolina Panthers
There was better rhythm offensively, with cleaner execution and more sustained drives. Players fighting for roster spots delivered in critical moments, making final decisions even more difficult for the coaching staff.
While the game wasn’t explosively exciting, both teams drawing a number of early penalties, there were some sparks and quite a few takeaways to look at in more depth.
It couldn’t be blamed on poor officiating; the Steelers were caught-up in the midst of a golden flag fest of their own making, especially early in the game. False starts, blocks in the back, holding… those are fundamental things that should have been cleaned up by this point. Jalen Ramsey’s extra slam of a ball carrier he had stopped in the backfield might get some fans fired up over his famed nasty on-field disposition, but in a regular season game would be a severe blow when penalized.
Add in an interception, a near-fumble by Jaylen Warren, a blown assignment that allowed an easy Panthers touchdown, and a lot of arm-tackling whiffs, and you get this:
“It’s good to get a win… There’s a lot of things that (we) don’t like, to be quite honest with you. I thought we were highly penalized. We turned the ball over there early. The tackling was shaky at best at times. I think they had 100 yards rushing at the half and that’s just kind of indicative of how poor the tackling was at times… we’ve got some things to work on…” – head coach Mike Tomlin
Yes, it was a win. Points on the scoreboard. A moral victory. Even Coach Tomlin explained that victories tend to right some of the wrongs. Yet, it was still a preseason game.
Looking back at what mattered
The Steelers’ 2025 preseason ultimately followed a familiar script: early excitement, mid-preseason correction, and a strong finish.
But beyond the wins and losses, August was about evaluation. It identified which players could be trusted. It revealed where depth had improved — and where it hadn’t. And it set expectations for a team still searching for consistency.
Looking back, many of the conversations that carried into the regular season — from offensive rhythm to defensive reliability — were already taking shape during these preseason matchups.
Stay tuned as we revisit another key moment from last season in next week’s Recall.