The Pittsburgh Steelers’ 2025 offseason practices concluded in the course of June and subsequent up is the workforce’s annual coaching camp, which is able to get underway within the latter a part of July at Saint Vincent Faculty in Latrobe. Forward of that, we are going to preview the workforce’s offseason roster three gamers at a time. This Steelers roster preview, which incorporates an outlook for each participant, can be accomplished alphabetically by final title to make it straightforward to observe. This sequence figures to exceed 90 gamers because the workforce can carry 91 gamers in the course of the offseason because of the allowance of 1 worldwide participant designation.
The following three gamers we are going to preview forward of Steelers 2025 coaching camp are Brandin Echols, Daniel Ekuale, and DeShon Elliott.
CB Brandin Echols: The Steelers signed Echols to a two-year, $6 million contract in March, and he was given a $1.83 million signing bonus as a part of that deal. His wage cap cost for the 2025 season is simply $2.085 million.
For his NFL profession, Echols, who was chosen by the New York Jets within the sixth spherical of the 2021 NFL Draft, has registered 122 regular-season tackles to go together with 16 passes defensed, 5 interceptions, and a fumble restoration. The Kentucky product has began 19 NFL video games and performed in 57 of them.
A flexible cornerback, Echols solely began 4 video games final season for the Jets on his technique to registering 40 tackles, one deal with for loss, two interceptions, three passes defensed, and one fumble restoration. He logged 407 defensive snaps in 2024 with the vast majority of these coming as an out of doors cornerback. He logged 185 further snaps in 2024 on particular groups.
In protection final season, Echols allowed 22 receptions on 36 complete common season targets for 295 yards and three touchdowns, in line with Professional Soccer Focus. He’s charged with lacking 9 tackles in 2024.
Outlook: It goes with out saying that Echols needs to be on the 53-man roster this 12 months. From there, his 2025 outlook is somewhat bit murky forward of coaching camp getting underway.
Echols is anticipated to battle CB Beanie Bishop Jr., and maybe one other participant or two, for the first nickel-slot job this summer season. Even so, Echols performed most of his defensive snaps with the Jets final season as an out of doors cornerback. In stating all of that, Echols is flexible sufficient to play each inside and outside ought to both want come up.
Ought to Echols win the beginning nickel job this summer season, which is clearly removed from assured to occur, he could be on track to play a excessive share of defensive snaps in 2025. Even when he fails to win that beginning job, he nonetheless needs to be anticipated to be a weekly lively participant for the protection.
Echols has fairly a little bit of NFL particular groups expertise so it’s cheap to anticipate that he’ll play there to a point throughout his first season in Pittsburgh.
Ought to Echols play significantly on protection in 2025, and will his play be nicely above the road on high of that, there may very well be a slight probability that the Steelers attempt to signal him to a contract extension subsequent offseason similar to they did just lately with S DeShon Elliott.
DT Daniel Ekuale: The Steelers signed Ekuale to a one-year, $2.8 million contract in March and that deal included a $1.63 million signing bonus.
Ekuale entered the NFL in 2018 with the Cleveland Browns as an undrafted free agent out of Washington State. After spending his first two NFL seasons in Cleveland, Ekuale spent the 2020 season with the Jacksonville Jaguars, however totally on their observe squad. He spent the previous 4 seasons with the New England Patriots.
In complete, Ekuale has performed in 57 regular-season video games with 21 begins. He has registered 91 complete tackles, eight tackles for loss, 9 quarterback hits, six sacks, one move defensed, and one pressured fumble in 1,643 regular-season defensive snaps. The 2024 season was a profession one for Ekuale as a member of the Patriots. He began 16 regular-season video games on his technique to registering 52 mixed tackles, two tackles for loss, three quarterback hits, and one sack.
Ekuale, who turned 31 in January, is considered a flexible defensive lineman as he has performed up and down the road of scrimmage since coming into the NFL. Most of his NFL snaps, nonetheless, have include him lined up within the B hole.
Outlook: The Steelers needed to deal with their line of defense depth forward of the 2025 NFL Draft, particularly after parting methods with veteran DT Larry Ogunjobi. Whereas Ekuale wasn’t essentially a reputation on lots of people’s lips as a potential early offseason addition, he does fill a necessity total, particularly after seeing the workforce choose two extra defensive linemen in the course of the draft.
Regardless of taking part in a profession excessive 722 defensive snaps in 2024, Ekuale will seemingly be utilized in extra of a reserve position in Pittsburgh, particularly if the workforce’s first-round choice this 12 months, DT Derrick Harmon, secures a beginning line of defense job to start out the common season. Ekuale will seemingly filter into video games in 2024 as a rotational participant and thus he may see fairly a couple of snaps each week.
A dependable tackler total, Ekuale is a greater run defender than he’s a move rusher. Thus, his worth to the Steelers in 2025 may be extra on early downs. There may be some considerations with Ekuale if he’s requested to play plenty of pass-rushing snaps in 2025 as he’s by no means been identified to be a high-pressure producer. If, nonetheless, he may help the workforce’s run protection enhance in 2025, he could have been a worthy one-year addition by the Steelers. He’s not a participant the workforce seemingly needs to see play wherever near 50 % of its defensive snaps in 2025.
S DeShon Elliott: The Steelers signed Elliott to a two-year, $6 million contract in the course of the 2024 free company interval, a signing ended being an distinctive one primarily based on how the veteran security performed final season. For the common season, Elliott registered 108 complete tackles, 4 tackles for loss, one interception, two pressured fumbles, three fumble recoveries and 6 passes defensed. Elliott logged 823 complete regular-season snaps on protection in 2024 with 56 extra on particular groups. He did miss two video games with a hamstring harm.
Elliott proved to be a dependable tackler in his first season in Pittsburgh as he transformed 108 of 111 deal with alternatives for a 97.3% effectivity mark. That was the very best in Subsequent Gen Stats deal with information since 2018 (minimal of 100 makes an attempt). In protection Elliott allowed 47 receptions on 66 regular-season targets for 432 yards and three touchdowns, in line with Professional Soccer Focus.
All advised, Elliott was one of many brighter gamers on the Steelers’ protection in 2024 and particularly the nearer he performed to the road of scrimmage. He match the Steelers nicely as their sturdy security in 2024.
Outlook: Elliott performed so nicely in 2024 that the Steelers simply rewarded him with a two-year contract extension. That was a little bit of a rarity on the subject of the Steelers, so it lets what they give thought to him after only one season in Pittsburgh.
Elliott will clearly be the Steelers beginning sturdy security as soon as once more in 2025. Hopefully he’ll be capable to play in all 17 regular-season video games after lacking two in 2024 because of harm.
Elliott may very nicely wind up with nicely greater than 100 complete tackles in 2025. Whereas a robust field participant, and particularly towards the run, Elliott may stand to do some higher job in protection in his second season in Pittsburgh. It could be good to see him complete a couple of extra interceptions in 2025.
In summation, it’s cheap to anticipate Elliott to have a 2025 season just like 2024 and probably a good higher one now that he has been within the defensive system for a 12 months.
Earlier Posts In This Sequence:
90 In 30: Steelers 2025 Coaching Camp Preview Sequence — Calvin Anderson, Spencer Anderson, Calvin Austin III
90 In 30: Steelers 2025 Coaching Camp Preview Sequence — Keeanu Benton, Beanie Bishop Jr., Yahya Black
90 In 30: Steelers 2025 Coaching Camp Preview Sequence — Chris Boswell, Nick Broeker, Carson Bruener
90 In 30: Steelers 2025 Coaching Camp Preview Sequence — Sebastian Castro, Dylan Prepare dinner, Domenique Davis
