2024 was a disappointment for the Pittsburgh Steelers. After completely rebuilding the quarterback depth chart, Pittsburgh still struggled on offense, failed to win the AFC North and got blown out in the first round of the playoffs.
Many of the problems with the Steelers came from players for whom the Steelers had high expectations who came up short. 2025 is a new year, and all of those Steelers have a chance to make amends with bounce-back seasons. Here are the five guys who fell flat in 2024, and we think they will come back big time in 2025.
1 - EDGE T.J. Watt
Watt led the Steelers with 11.5 sacks but like much of the defense, Watt seemed to disappear down the stretch. Many players would see Watt's numbers and call it a huge success but for Watt this wasn't the case and you can bet he's motivated to be even better this season.
2 - OT Broderick Jones
Broderick Jones goes into the 2025 season with the inside track to be the team's starting left tackle. This is a perfect opportunity for Jones to put the 2024 season behind him and try to regain his form from his rookie season and continue to build on it.
3 - RB Jaylen Warren
After the Steelers didn't re-sign Najee Harris it made Jaylen Warren the de facto starter. But coming off of a year where Warren only rushed for 511 yards, Warren needs to be eyeing a big jump in production.
4 - CB Joey Porter Jr.
After a very strong rookie campaign, Porter took a step back in 2024 and struggled with his technique and discipline. The Steelers added Darius Slay in free agency and we hope he can help mentor Porter and tap into his potential.
5 - S Minkah Fitzpatrick
We hate to see a player as good as Minkah Fitzpatrick relegated to a diminished role but this is a disturbing trend in this Steelers defense. Fitzpatrick has the potential to be an elite playmaker and we hope the Steelers can find a way to put him in a position to make those plays again.
This article originally appeared on Steelers Wire: 5 Steelers poised for a bounce back season in 2025
