Five Biggest X-Factors for Steelers In 2025
For somebody to suggest the 2025 Pittsburgh Steelers’ offseason has been a crazy one would be a vast understatement.
It’s an offseason that’s consisted of a mega deal involving DK Metcalf, a trade of George Pickens to the Dallas Cowboys, and the addition of future Hall of Famer, Aaron Rodgers.
By and large, the Steelers have an idea of what to expect from their talent. But here are five players, who will be labeled as X-Factors, for the upcoming season.
Broderick Jones
The Pittsburgh Steelers selected Broderick Jones 14th overall in the 2023 NFL Draft out of the University of Georgia.
Given how high the Steelers were on Dan Moore Jr. at left tackle, Jones was moved over to the right side of the offensive line, which felt like a peculiar move.
Moore signed a free agent deal this offseason with the Tennessee Titans, so Jones will get the chance to start at his natural position of LT.
Coming out of college, Jones was a good, run blocker. However, his pass blocking was considered by most scouts as a work in progress. 2025 will no doubt be a make or break season for Jones, as he will tasked with protecting Aaron Rodgers’ blindside.
Cole Holcomb
In March of 2023, the Steelers signed inside linebacker Cole Holcomb to a three-year contract worth $18 million.
During the 2023 season, Holcomb suffered a season-ending knee injury in Week 9. Before going down, he compiled 54 combined tackles, along with two forced fumbles.
Holcomb spent the entirety of last year on the Steelers’ PUP list.
Since Holcomb’s injury, Pittsburgh has added Pro Bowl ILB Patrick Queen and 2024 third round pick Payton Wilson, who is coming off a quality, rookie campaign. Malik Harrison, a teammate of Queen’s in Baltimore, will likely compete with Holcomb as the Steelers ILB3. If Holcomb can win the job, and more importantly return to full health, the production he could provide be an added bonus to the ILB depth.
Kaleb Johnson
Despite four straight seasons of 1,000 rushing yards, the Steelers decided to move on from Najee Harris. The former first round selection signed a one-year deal with the Los Angeles Chargers.
As expected, a running back was addressed in the 2025 draft, with Pittsburgh taking University of Iowa standout Kaleb Johnson in the third round. The pick has been considered one of the bigger mid-round steals in the draft.
Last season as a junior, Johnson rushed for 1,537 yards and 21 touchdowns; both of which are now single-season school records. In addition, he was named Big Ten Running Back of the Year.
Jaylen Warren is projected to be the Steelers feature RB this season. Although much like Harris, he probably won’t get a large majority of the carries. Mike Tomlin has been impressed so far with the rookie Johnson, in minicamp and OTAs, so perhaps he could be a favorite as the RB2 behind Warren. The Steelers also signed former Philadelphia Eagles tailback Kenneth Gainwell this offseason.
Roman Wilson
Looking to add to the wide receiver depth last year, the Steelers drafted Roman Wilson as a third round selection.
Wilson had a very productive collegiate career at Michigan, where he played a vital role, on the Wolverines’ 2023 National Championship team.
It was a rough beginning to Wilson’s pro football journey, as he dealt with a significant ankle injury, which caused him to miss the rest of training camp and the preseason. He made his debut for the Steelers in Week 6, but only received five offensive snaps.
On October 28th, Wilson sustained a hamstring injury that landed him on injured reserve, and resulted in his season being over.
With the departure of Pickens, Pittsburgh has yet to address a true, WR2 replacement, and it’s unclear whether they will at this point. Regardless if they do or not, it’s imperative Wilson remains on the field. Should that happen and he plays up to his potential, it would be a big, shot in the arm, for the Steelers’ offense in 2025.
Troy Fautanu
After drafting Broderick Jones in 2023, Pittsburgh went the offensive line route again, with their first round pick in 2024, choosing University of Washington right tackle Troy Fautanu.
Entering the ‘24 draft, Fautanu was widely regarded as one of the top offensive tackles in the draft. During his redshirt senior year, he was recognized as the Morris Trophy winner, an award given out to the best offensive lineman in the Pac-12.
For Fautanu, joining the Steelers was a dream come true, as he idolized Troy Polamalu. So much so that he copied his style of play from Polamalu. It was shortly after being drafted that the Steelers Hall of Fame safety personally congratulated Fautanu.
In the preseason opener, Fautanu dealt with a knee injury. He would make his debut in Week 2 against the Denver Broncos. However, on September 20th, Fautanu left practice and underwent an MRI. The next day, he was placed on IR. On September 23rd, the diagnosis of Fautanu’s injury was not promising, as he dislocated his kneecap, which ended his season.
Fautanu will open this year as the Steelers starting right tackle. Out of all the X-Factors that were mentioned, Fantanu would seem to be the least to be concerned about, given how polished he was coming out of college. Assuming Fautanu returns back fully healthy, he’s got the upside of a Pro Bowl caliber RT.