Month: August 2025

T.J. Watt misses out on a 99 overall once again.

Love it, hate it, or feel indifferent, the arrival of each year’s Madden installment is a sign that football season is almost upon us.

Ahead of Madden 26’s full arrival on Aug. 14, EA has officially released the initial player ratings for those in the game.

Do ratings matter? Not really, unless you’re buying the game. But NFL players understandably care about how they’re presented in the video game, and the player ratings occasionally pop up in the news when it comes to actual teams’ decision-making processes.

Ravens general manager Eric Decosta said in February that Baltimore’s front office takes Madden ratings into account in one of their statistical models, while Jets owner Woody Johnson reportedly vetoed a trade for Jerry Jeudy last year because the former Broncos’ receiver wasn’t rated high enough.

The Madden team updates player ratings throughout the season. The highest possible rating is a 99.

Here are the overalls for the top contributors currently on the Steelers roster. You can view every player on the team’s current rating here.

Offense

• QB Aaron Rodgers: 76
• RB Kaleb Johnson: 75
• RB Jaylen Warren: 80
• WR D.K. Metcalf: 85
• WR Calvin Austin III: 75
• WR Roman Wilson: 70
• WR Robert Woods: 75
• TE Pat Freiermuth: 84
• TE Jonnu Smith: 81
• TE Darnell Washington: 76
• OT Broderick Jones: 72
• G Isaac Seumalo: 80
• C Zach Frazier: 84
• G Mason McCormick: 74
• OT Troy Fautanu: 77

Defense

• OLB T.J. Watt: 96 (X factor)
• DL Keeanu Benton: 76
• DL Derrick Harmon: 77
• DL Cam Heyward: 94 (X factor)
• OLB Alex Highsmith: 88
• OLB Nick Herbig: 74
• LB Patrick Queen: 82
• LB Payton Wilson: 76
• LB Malik Harrison: 73
• CB Jalen Ramsey: 94 (X factor)
• CB Joey Porter Jr.: 80
• CB Brandin Echols: 71
• CB Darius Slay: 84
• S DeShon Elliott: 82
• S Juan Thornhill: 76

Special teams

• K Chris Boswell: 85
• P Cam Johnston: 75
• LS Christian Kuntz: 62

Notes and takeaways:

• This the first Madden with long snappers as an official position in quite some time. However, Christian Kuntz comes in as the 27th-best in the game.
• The Steelers have the top defense in the game with a 91 overall. They have the ninth-highest team overall at 86. The Ravens are the top-rated team in the game with a 93 overall.
• Chris Boswell surprisingly missed a 90-plus rating, coming in as an 85 overall and the second-best kicker in the game behind the Cowboys’ Brandon Aubrey (87).
• Cam Heyward comes in as the fourth-best defensive lineman in the game. T.J. Watt is tied as the third-best edge rusher with Maxx Crosby behind Micah Parsons and Myles Garrett, who start the game as 98 and 99 overalls, respectively. Jalen Ramsey is tied as the third-best cornerback with Sauce Gardner and Trent McDuffie.
• No Steelers offensive players appear in their respective positions’ top 10.
• The Steelers’ rookie class ratings are as follows: Derrick Harmon (77), Kaleb Johnson (75), Jack Sawyer (72), Yahya Black (67), Will Howard (64), Carson Bruener (64), and Donte Kent (68).
• The fastest Steeler in the game is Calvin Austin III with 95-rated speed.
• Linebacker Cole Holcomb and safety Chuck Clark are currently the highest-rated Steelers currently buried on the depth chart (78 and 77 overall, respectively).
• Corliss Waitman and Cam Johnston both have the same rating to start the game. The EA Sports team is apparently expecting a close camp battle at the punter position.
• Center Ryan McCollum is currently the lowest-rated player on the team at a 53 overall. In real life, his chances at making the team’s final roster are significantly higher.

Come through and stay awhile.

Welcome back to BTSC’s Friday night open thread:

1. Last night was the Hall of Fame game, marking the return to football! There are no Steelers being inducted this year, but the next player most likely to be inducted is Ben Roethlisberger (eligible in 2027). Will Big Ben be a first-ballot Hall of Famer, or will it take him a couple of tries?
2. While Roethlisberger is a lock for Canton, there are several other Steelers who have either been struggling to get enough votes or who will become eligible in the coming years. Give us your verdict — Yes or No — will any of the following make the Hall?

• Hines Ward (2025 semifinalist)
• James Harrison (2025 semifinalist)
• Maurkice Pouncey (First year of eligibility)
• Casey Hampton
• James Farrior
• Andy Russell (Senior eligible)
• L.C. Greenwood (Senior eligible)
• Gary Anderson (Senior eligible)

3. Which of the players on the current roster do you think will one day make the Hall of Fame? Bonus if they go as a Steeler — Aaron Rodgers is likely to be enshrined as a Packer, for example.

4. Let’s imagine there is a Hall of Fame that you’ve been voted into. What Hall of Fame would you be inducted into? Feel free to make your answer as silly or serious as you want.

5. Song of the Week:

With training camp finally here and the pads back on. It feels like this week’s song is all too appropriate.

“The Boys Are Back In Town” — Thin Lizzy

The disgruntled Cowboys’ star requested a trade out of Dallas

The Pittsburgh Steelers have embraced the “All in” mentality for the 2025 season, making moves for stars such as DK Metcalf, Jalen Ramsey, Jonnu Smith, and Aaron Rodgers. And while Omar Khan says he likes what the Steelers have on their roster, they are currently one of the favorites to land a star defender.

Dallas Cowboys star edge rusher Micah Parsons released a statement to break his silence on where he stands with the Cowboys. In the post, Parsons said that the Cowboys have yet to negotiate with his agent on a new deal, and he concluded by saying he has formally requested a trade.

And while there are plenty of teams that will be labeled as perfect trade destinations for the star pass-rusher, one team named as a favorite to trade for Parsons is the Steelers.

According to Jaime Eisner of The Draft Network, the Steelers have the second-best odds to trade for Parsons (per SportsBettingAG). The team with the highest odds is the Las Vegas Raiders.

This will almost certainly not happen, as Parsons will likely garner at least one first-round pick if he gets traded. The Steelers need to draft a quarterback in 2026 with their first-round pick, and they aren’t trading that away.

We have all heard the jokes about Arthur Smith and his love for Jonnu Smith, but his tight-end-friendly offense could bring a new level to the Steelers’ offense in 2025.

I was equally confused and intrigued when I heard rumblings that the Pittsburgh Steelers were running 04 personnel during team periods. If you have not heard yet, I am not joking. This formation consists of zero running backs and four tight ends on the field for the Steelers’ offense.

This was most certainly the first time that I can remember the Steelers running anything like that. Having four tight ends on the field at a time is something you don’t see every day, even in practice. Having a tight end catch a toss while lined up as a running back is certainly something you don’t see very often.

I could not recall a single time in which a tight end has ever been used like this in an NFL game. However, after scouring the internet trying to find an example of a tight end lining up in the backfield and catching a toss play, I finally found an example. The best part of it all was that it was Jonnu Smith lining up at tailback during his time with the Tennessee Titans. Even better, his offensive coordinator at the time was none other than Arthur Smith.

If the Steelers can line up in this four-tight-end set and have Smith break off one long run, I’m certain fans won’t be upset. This is also a sign that the Steelers are going to use Smith as he is intended to be used.

Smith is not your prototypical tight end. His vision with the ball in his hands is among the best of any pass catcher in the entire league. He thrives off manufactured touches like screens, and in this case, handoffs. Smith had a career year last season with the Miami Dolphins, earning Pro Bowl honors for the first time in his career. We can attribute a lot of his success to the fact that Miami was so willing to give Smith those touches in space.

How does this help the Steelers in 2025?

Nothing against Pat Freiermuth, who is a solid tight end overall, but he is not the type of player with the elusiveness that you can manufacture touches for and expect him to break off a big play consistently. This type of thing was Jonnu’s bread and butter last season in Miami, and it is incredibly encouraging to know that Smith is at least trying out these wacky concepts in camp. Freiermuth will undoubtedly get his fair share of targets in this offense, but Smith figures to be the

The Steelers simply need more explosiveness on offense. With Aaron Rodgers, DK Metcalf, Kaleb Johnson, and Smith all new to the offense, there will certainly be more big-play capabilities as compared to previous years for the Steelers, and Smith figures to be the Swiss army knife to it all.

Oddly enough, the Steelers offense resembles that of the 2019 Tennessee Titans that made it to the AFC Championship game in the sense that they have a run-first mentality, a highly accurate quarterback, and one dominant receiver who can turn any catch into a long touchdown.

Whether it’s Smith in the backfield or Metcalf catching a deep crosser from Rodgers, I expect more fireworks from the Arthur Smith offense in 2025, and these wacky formations are a sign of a new type of creative offense we haven’t seen from the Pittsburgh Steelers in years past.

Pittsburgh continues to shuffle its defensive line depth.

The Steelers have had a busy week of defensive line-related roster moves following three injuries at the position group in training camp.

The team announced Friday that it has released defensive tackle Jacob Slade with an injury designation. Slade was one of three Steelers defensive lineman to suffer a knee injury at Wednesday’s practice, alongside veteran Dean Lowry and 2025 free agent signing Esezi Otomewo, who both remain on the roster.

Slade had been on and off the Steelers’ offseason roster and practice squad since January 2024. He started his NFL career as an undrafted free agent with the Arizona Cardinals. He’s yet to appear in an NFL game.

Along with Slade’s release, the Steelers officially announced the signing of former Minnesota Golden Gophers and New Orleans Saints defensive tackle Kyler Baugh, whose signing was previously reported.

On Friday, former Steelers defensive tackle Breiden Fehoko also announced he will be returning to the team. However, his signing and the corresponding roster move have yet to be officially announced by the team.

The Steelers offseason roster is currently filled with 91 players: the league’s allotted 90-man offseason roster as well as international exemption Julius Welschof.

Breiden Fehoko will reportedly come back after a year away from the NFL

The Pittsburgh Steelers will hold their annual Friday Night Lights practice this evening in Latrobe. However, ahead of the beloved tradition, they have brought back a familiar face on the defensive line.

Former Steelers DT Breiden Fehoko did his best Adam Schefter impression, posting via X that he will once again be suiting up for the black and gold.

“Non-earth shattering news: I’m returning to the Pittsburgh Steelers,” Fehoko posted.

Fehoko, an undrafted free agent signed by the Los Angeles Chargers in 2020, bounced around the Steelers’ active roster and practice squad in the 23-24 season. He was re-signed in March but released during training camp after suffering a partially torn left pec during a goal-line drill. He did ultimately return that season and spent the rest of the year on the practice squad.

This news comes after it was reported that DL Dean Lowry, Jacob Slader, and Esezi Otomewo suffered knee injuries and are out for the foreseeable future. All three are also being evaluated.

It’s safe to say Fehoko will serve as a depth piece, but his familiarity with the team makes this a logical fit.