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A weekly Steelers (and AFC North) links roundup
It’s Wednesday, which means it’s time for a weekly Steelers links roundup at BTSC. But first, let’s take a look around the AFC North:
- Baltimore Ravens Hidden Gems: 3 Secret Superstars on the 2025 roster (Baltimore Beatdown)
- Browns Joel Bitonio’s fondest memory, losing Nick Chubb this year, looking up to Kobe Bryant putting off retirement and more (Dawgs By Nature)
- NFL analysts pick Joe Burrow to win MVP this season (Cincy Jungle)
Now, onto some Steelers news and discussion:
Dolphins re-set culture by ditching Ramsey, but does trade make team better?
(From the South Florida Sun-Sentinel’s Dave Hyde): Let’s start here: The Miami Dolphins won’t miss cornerback Jalen Ramsey. They won’t miss him regularly showing up for practice as the rest of the team was in the middle of stretching.
They won’t miss how he constantly undermined defensive coordinator Vic Fangio two years ago and coach Mike McDaniel last season in a manner that spread like a bad odor through the larger team.
It’s always worthwhile to balance the Steelers media’s view of a trade with the perspective of those who cover the other side of the deal. In this case, the Sun Sentinel’s Dave Hyde goes as far as noting that “(Jonnu) Smith became the trade sweetener to get rid of (Jalen) Ramsey.”
It’s a rather scathing column, but it’s a valuable look into how the Miami media views the Dolphins’ side of things, as well as some insights regarding Ramsey’s time with the team. As I noted last week, the talented cornerback has had his fair share of drama with past teams.
A day to celebrate all things Steelers
(From Steelers.com’s Teresa Varley): July 8, 1933
Greatness has to begin somewhere and in Pittsburgh, it all began on this day in 1933.
Today fans around the world are celebrating the Pittsburgh Steelers 92nd Birthday, the day when it all began for the historic franchise.
Yep, yesterday, July 8, was the Steelers’ birthday.
Teresa Varley’s full article is worth a read if you’d like a trip down memory lane. There’s even a clipping of the 1933 NFL Newsletter that announced Pittsburgh was getting a professional football team alongside Philadelphia and Cincinnati.
Rod Woodson’s time in Pittsburgh was special
(From Steelers.com’s Teresa Varley): “When I first got here The Chief, Art Rooney Sr., was still alive and he used to come around in the locker room with a cigar and big glasses and ask everyone how they are doing. And then Dan Rooney Sr., he started doing it and now Art Rooney II has taken over the family tradition of how they treat their players and employees and how it’s run is amazing. Being a part of that is outstanding.”
It’s part advertisement, sure, but Steelers.com’s new series breaking down displays in the team’s Hall of Honor Museum is pretty cool if you can’t make the trip in-person.
Woodson was one of the inaugural inductees of the Steelers’ Hall of Honor in 2017. The talented defensive back was already named to the NFL’s Hall of Fame in 2009.
You can visit the Steelers’ Hall of Honor Museum website here.
2025 NFL offensive line rankings: Eagles, Broncos open the season at the top
(From PFF’s Zoltán Buday): 21. Pittsburgh Steelers
One of the NFL’s youngest offensive lines will be protecting one of the NFL’s oldest starting quarterbacks, Aaron Rodgers. Three starters are entering year two, while left tackle Broderick Jones will play his third NFL season.
Center Zach Frazier has already proven himself in the NFL, ranking fifth among all centers in 2024 with a 77.9 PFF overall grade, but the other young players will need to step up in 2025.
Buday’s analysis is brief but accurate, and the Steeler O-line’s No. 21 rank league-wide feels a tad high. That said, the value of articles that take into account the entire NFL show that the Steelers are far from the only team with some uncertainty up front entering the 2025 season.
For the most part, the league’s better teams are near the top of the offensive line ranking and vice versa, but the Steelers only rank one spot below the reigning AFC Champion Kansas City Chiefs; Pittsburgh also ranks above potential playoff teams in the Dallas Cowboys and Cincinnati Bengals. The latter rank No. 31 — T.J. Watt and co. might be licking their chops come Week 7.
Execs, coaches, scouts rank NFL’s top 10 defensive tackles for 2025
(From ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler): 10. Cameron Heyward, Pittsburgh Steelers
Heyward fueled his own Steeler legend with an age-35 performance that included a first-team All-Pro berth.
Fighting off inevitable decline, Heyward produced 8 sacks, 20 quarterback hits and a league-high 8 batted passes. The difference from a down 2023 campaign was simple.
“He was healthier,” an AFC executive said. “Got past the nagging injuries from 2023 and performed back up to his standard. He’s been good for a long time.”
Opposing quarterbacks posted a 1.0 QBR on dropbacks when Heyward applied the first pressure. Translation: When he got deep into the backfield, he made the play, forcing 17 incompletions on the year.
Yes, the endless rankings before actual football starts can get tiring after a while, but this list has some credibility given the voters: “league executives, coaches and scouts,” per ESPN.
That being said, it’s shocking to see Heyward ranked this low in a list of the NFL’s best defensive lineman. Sure, it’s hard to argue with Dexter Lawrence, Chris Jones, and Jalen Carter being at the top, but names such as Nnamdi Madubuike and Leonard Williams — while still excellent players — feel like a stretch to rank over the current first-team All-Pro.
And Heyward’s highest ranking from an individual voter was just No. 6? C’mon now.
Is Cam Heyward underrated league-wide?
Based on this list, it’s easy to say “yeah” — but Heyward’s four career first-team All-Pros and seven Pro Bowls show a player who has still received plenty of respect over his time in the NFL. He was also Walter Payton Man of the Year in 2023.
But it’s worth noting that Heyward has had an interesting career arc. He didn’t make his first Pro Bowl until his seventh NFL season (age 28), when he recorded double-digit sacks for the first time in 2017.
Then, the Steelers changed his official position from defensive end to defensive tackle so Heyward would be competing against interior defenders instead of edge rushers when it came to NFL awards. That strategy worked, but only because of his dominant play over the past decade or so.
But due to his late break into the spotlight, the view of Heyward around the league, as seen in the above article, has often centered around when the “inevitable decline” will happen. Look back to articles from this time last year — even Steelers fans were unsure if the team should re-sign Heyward given his age.
Now 36 years old, Heyward is still staving off Father Time. He’s entering future Hall of Famer discussions as well. So while he might still be underrated in some league circles — and maybe in this case, the league executives polled were largely worried about his age — the main takeaway is that players can still become superstars after their rookie contract runs out.
What are your thoughts on Cam Heyward’s league-wide legacy? Join the BTSC comment section and let us know!