It's safe to say that the Pittsburgh Steelers defense was one of, if not the single most disappointing unit in all of football over the first two months of the 2025 season. Despite allocating more than $25M more than any other team in the league—to that side of the ball, they were getting bludgeoned on a weekly basis. However, things are finally starting to trend in the right direction. Over the past three weeks, they rank 6th in EPA/play allowed and 7th in success rate and have controlled two high-octane offenses, the Indianapolis Colts and Cincinnati Bengals , in that time frame.
Drastic in-season improvements are so rarely a direct result of one specific change, but there's no denying that there's a direct correlation at play here, highlighted by the Steelers' new safety duo.
There was a clear miscalculation from the organization in their belief that the recently released Juan Thornhill was a capable fit to replace what they were losing in Minkah Fitzpatrick , who was traded to the Miami Dolphins in June. To make matters worse, DeShon Elliott has had a frustrating campaign riddled with injuries immediately following his breakout season as a pro.
Pittsburgh Steelers defensive back Jalen Ramsey during a game against the Indianapolis Colts on Nov. 2, 2025. — Ed Thompson / Steelers Now
Former All-Pro cornerback Jalen Ramsey and freshly acquired Kyle Dugger have provided some much-needed stability for Pittsburgh's defense on the backend.
Because of his unmatched physicality and high football IQ, Ramsey's eventual move to safety was easy to foresee, and the transition has been extremely smooth thus far. His size and length have been a weapon for Pittsburgh when they want to get in their man coverage looks because he can defend against bigger body types, specifically tight ends, that were running amok on this defense early in the season. He's smooth in his pedal with fluid hips and enough range to help keep a lid on vertical shots when aligned in centerfield. But the most noticeable change has been that the defense just feels different with him patrolling the third level. Not only is he a reliable tackler, having missed just 4.3% of his chances this year per PFF , but the Steelers are also starting to deploy some disguised zone coverages to funnel the ball in his direction in key situations such as third downs.
Dugger's path to Pittsburgh was less conventional after injuries contributed to subpar performance last year, which also put him behind the eight ball with a brand new coaching staff entering the fold. Now healthy, his competitive toughness has been on display in all three of his starts thus far. At 6-foot-1, 217 pounds, Dugger has the old-school build of a box safety and a rugged playstyle to match. At the peak of his powers, the Lenoir-Rhyne could be utilized in man coverage versus tight ends, and we've seen some flashes of that already in the steel city. Despite tweaking some of their coverage tendencies in recent weeks, the secondary has had fewer busts in coverage, and part of that credit should go to Dugger, who can be seen regularly communicating with his teammates on film. His pick six on Sunday against the Bengals was the turning point in the contest and a bit of redemption for him, too, after dropping an interception in the first half.
Beyond the personnel changes, defensive coordinator Teryl Austin has also shown a willingness to pivot recently, with the Steelers relying on more split-field pre-snap looks and post-snap middle-field open coverages. In week nine against the Colts, they used a two-high shell on 61% of their snaps, a number that actually grew this past weekend in their win over the Bengals.
In today's NFL, being static and predictable on defense opens the door for good offenses to torture you, especially when the quarterback is capable of getting the ball out quickly to negate the Steelers' pass rush. You wouldn't look at this scheme as an ambassador for innovation necessarily, but they've shown the ability to have success with different game plans designed for specific opponents. That's good coaching.
In essence, the Steelers have now stopped the bleeding. Now, it's about seeing if these changes are merely a mirage or if they can continually evolve to keep high-powered attacks on their toes. A couple of determining factors are worth keeping an eye on moving forward. How well do they stop the run with lighter box counts on early downs? Over the last three weeks, they're allowing a 40.7% rushing success rate on first and second down, but are 28th in EPA/rush in that time span.
Lastly, can Ramsey and Dugger continue holding up in deeper zones and match coverages? The early returns have been solid, although the duo has been a tad late to diagnose and trigger on some routes when playing from depth, particularly the honey hole shots and in-breakers from box coverages. Neither are the elite athletes that they were earlier in their careers, and their range will continue to be tested now that more reps are on film.
The Steelers currently have a 50% chance of making the postseason and a 39% chance of winning the AFC North, according to ESPN analytics . Those numbers tell the obvious story that their best chance of playing meaningful football come January is through fending off the Baltimore Ravens and securing the division crown. Hosting a playoff game at Acrisure Stadium would surely be music to Mike Tomlin's ears. The play of their defense, and specifically their safeties, will be a driving force to reaching their goals.
This article originally appeared on Steelers Now : Bell: How Jalen Ramsey & Kyle Dugger Stabilized Steelers Secondary
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