Last season, the Pittsburgh Steelers once again had the most expensive defense in the NFL. This unit finished No. 17 in points allowed and No. 26 in yards allowed. This alone makes handing out positional unit grades for this group a challenge. The success this group had was based more on outliers and individual performances as opposed to consistent team effort.
Defensive line - C
Individually, there were some strong performances. Rookie Derrick Harmon really showed why the team selected him in the first round. But beyond that, this unit's play was quite inconsistent and that includes Cam Hewyard.
Outside linebacker - C
We hate to give this grade given the level of talent this team has at outside linebacker. But T.J. Watt was a huge disappointment and strong seasons by Alex Highsmith and Nick Herbig cannot make up for that. This is a unit that could see some turnover in the offseason.
Inside linebacker - B
Payton Wilson and Patrick Queen were 1 and 2 in tackles in 2025 and both players were among the best inside linebackers in the NFL last season. Wilson in particular was exceptional given he only started four games and was part of a rotation all season long.
Cornerback - C
Lack of interceptions and inconsistent coverage hurt this group. Injuries as well, which forced some position changes. But we keep this grade a C because cornerback Joey Porter Jr. went another full season without allowing a touchdown.
Safety - B
While other units struggled with injuries, this group shined. DeShon Elliott went down, Jalen Ramsey moves over and plays at an elite level. The team brings in Kyle Dugger and he's a starter with no practice. Even reserve Chuck Clark did a nice job.
This article originally appeared on Steelers Wire: Grading the Steelers defensive positional units after the 2025 season