90 In 30: Steelers 2025 Coaching Camp Preview Sequence — Joey Porter Jr., Patrick Queen, Mark Robinson

Thank you for reading this post, don't forget to subscribe!

The Pittsburgh Steelers’ 2025 offseason practices concluded in the midst of June, and subsequent up is the crew’s annual coaching camp, which will get underway within the latter a part of July at Saint Vincent School in Latrobe. Forward of that, we are going to preview the crew’s offseason roster, three gamers at a time. This Steelers roster preview, which incorporates an outlook for each participant, might be achieved alphabetically by final title to make it straightforward to comply with. This collection figures to exceed 90 gamers because the crew can carry 91 gamers in the course of the offseason because of the allowance of 1 worldwide participant designation.

The subsequent three gamers we preview forward of the Steelers’ 2025 coaching camp are Joey Porter Jr., Patrick Queen, and Mark Robinson.

CB Joey Porter Jr.: In his second NFL season, Porter, who was chosen by the Steelers within the second spherical of the 2023 NFL Draft out of Penn State, began 16 regular-season video games in 2024 and the crew’s lone playoff contest at exterior cornerback. Porter’s one recreation missed was attributable to a knee harm and that was later within the yr.

For the 2024 common season, Porter tallied 70 whole tackles, two tackles for loss, one interception, and 7 passes defensed. He performed 971 regular-season snaps on protection and 78 extra on particular groups. Within the lone playoff recreation final season, Porter registered six whole tackles and one go defensed.

In protection for the 2024 season, Porter allowed 52 receptions for 642 yards on 78 whole targets, in accordance with Professional Soccer Focus. PFF additionally gave him a defensive grade of 54.6 for the 2024 season and a protection grade of 56.3.

The most important bugaboo in 2024 when it got here to Porter’s play in 2024 was penalties. In whole, Porter was flagged 15 occasions in 2024 for 126 yards. Six of these penalties got here in a single recreation. Moreover, six had been for defensive go interference, 5 had been for defensive holding, and two extra for unlawful use of fingers. Porter was flagged twice extra within the Steelers’ lone playoff recreation, each for defensive holding. Understand that Porter was flagged 12 occasions throughout his 2023 rookie season.

Porter confirmed enchancment as a tackler in 2024 and that’s no less than one enormous optimistic for him popping out of his second NFL season.

Outlook: Porter nonetheless has the flexibility to turn into one of many NFL’s high cornerbacks based mostly on how he’s performed and developed in his first two seasons. That mentioned, he should reduce down on his penalties in 2025, and never just a bit bit. He additionally wants to start out making extra splash performs.

Porter tallied only one interception throughout faculty profession, and he has all of two thus far within the NFL. Averaging only one interception and 9 passes defensed a season simply isn’t going to chop it in Pittsburgh, particularly if he continues his excessive penalty charge.

Porter has two new mentors within the Steelers’ cornerback room this yr in Jalen Ramsey and Darius Slay. The arrival of these two gamers will hopefully end in him studying a couple of extra methods associated to his commerce. Bear in mind, Porter additionally had CB Patrick Peterson as a mentor as a rookie.

Final season, Porter switched sides fairly a bit within the Steelers’ protection, and he even logged some snaps within the slot. I anticipate that we’ll see him have an alignment repeat in 2025. The Steelers ought to be capable of be rather less predictable in coverages in 2025 with the crew buying and selling S Minkah Fitzpatrick final week. Perhaps that can assist Porter a bit bit as nicely.

Porter must have his finest season thus far in 2025, one which ends with him being within the dialog as a top-10 NFL cornerback. He’s primed to signal a profitable contract extension subsequent offseason if he takes an enormous step ahead in 2025. Nevertheless, one other season much like his first two would possibly end in him being compelled to play out his rookie contract in 2026.

ILB Patrick Queen: The Steelers made Queen their major free agent addition in 2024, signing him to a three-year, $41 million contract final offseason. Queen, as anticipated, was the Steelers’ major inside linebacker and green-dot wearer all through the 2024 season.

Queen performed in 2024 on his method to logging 1,090 regular-season snaps on protection and 74 extra on particular groups. He registered 129 whole tackles, six tackles for loss, two compelled fumbles, one fumble restoration, one sack, 5 quarterback hits and 7 passes defensed in the course of the 2024 common season. He added 10 extra tackles and one deal with for loss within the Steelers’ lone playoff recreation final season.

Whereas Queen typically performed nicely in his first season in Pittsburgh, he did go away a number of performs on the sector. To begin with, Queen had a couple of missed interceptions in 2024 and a complete of 21 missed tackles. Additionally, Queen allowed 67 receptions for 728 yards and one landing in 2024, in accordance with Professional Soccer Focus. The Steelers had a whole lot of miscommunication on protection in 2024 as nicely and with Queen being the quarterback of that unit, a few of the blame should lay at his ft for that.

PFF, by the way in which, gave Queen an general defensive grade in 2024 of 56.8. His run protection grade was 53.1 whereas his protection grade was 54.3.

Outlook: Queen will clearly be the Steelers’ major inside linebacker as soon as once more in 2025 and that’s not up for debate. He’ll additionally as soon as once more would be the quarterback of the protection and thus should do a greater job of getting calls disseminated and gamers lined up of their proper spots. The protection simply can’t have the identical variety of gaffes that we noticed in 2024.

Queen’s general play should enhance in 2025, particularly within the playmaking division. He solely had six tackles for loss in 2024 and that should double in 2025. He simply may have had three interceptions in 2024 as nicely. The Steelers’ protection actually should be higher up the backbone of the unit in 2025, particularly in opposition to the run. Queen will clearly be the principle participant inside that backbone in 2025.

With a greater season in 2025, Queen may fairly simply hit the 150-tackle mark. Moreover, a dozen or extra tackles for loss to go together with a couple of interceptions and sacks would possibly simply give him a shot at making the Professional Bowl.

Queen is scheduled to earn $13.83 million in 2025. If he has a 2025 season much like 2024, he won’t see his 2026 contract yr, which is scheduled to earn him $13.33 million. However, a significantly better 2025 season may outcome within the Steelers trying to Queen him to a profitable contract extension subsequent offseason.

ILB Mark Robinson: Signed by the Steelers in 2023 as an undrafted free agent out of Mississippi, Robinson dressed and performed in each recreation for the crew in 2024 and that features its lone playoff contest.

In whole, Robinson logged simply eight defensive snaps in the course of the 2024 common season to go together with 301 snaps on particular groups. He logged one other 5 particular groups snaps within the crew’s lone playoff recreation as nicely. Robinson completed the 2024 common season with six mixed tackles and two compelled fumbles. 5 of these tackles and each compelled fumbles got here on particular groups.

For his NFL profession, Robinson has recorded 45 whole tackles, one deal with for loss, one sack, and three compelled fumbles in 202 regular-season snaps performed on protection and 619 extra on particular groups. His single-game profession excessive for defensive snaps performed is 44, and that got here later in the course of the 2023 common season.

Outlook: Robinson’s future in the case of the 2025 season is kind of a bit murky because the Steelers appear to have a reasonably stacked and full inside linebacker room forward of coaching camp getting underway. Not solely did the Steelers signal unrestricted free agent ILB Malik Harrison this offseason, however all indicators additionally level to ILB Cole Holcomb now being totally recovered from the 2023 knee harm that brought about him to overlook all the 2024 season. Additionally, the Steelers chosen ILB Carson Bruener within the 2025 NFL Draft.

Whereas Robinson has performed extensively on particular groups in his first three NFL seasons, he has logged just a bit greater than 200 snaps on protection with simply eight of these coming in the course of the 2024 common season. That screams that the Steelers don’t actually belief Robinson on protection transferring ahead and that his essential worth to them is as a particular groups participant.

Holcomb’s standing in the course of the summer time might be fascinating to pay shut consideration to as he and Robinson may very nicely be competing for one inside linebacker spot on the 53-man roster. Bruener is one other participant to look at as a result of he brings a pleasant particular groups resume from faculty to the NFL.

Robinson won’t make the 53-man roster come Week 1 and if that winds up the case, he may finally begin the 2025 common season on the crew’s follow squad. He has a fighter’s probability in the case of making the 53-man roster, however not rather more than that.

Earlier Posts In This Sequence: