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:
- Nate Wiggins named the Ravens’ most promising building block (Baltimore Beatdown)
- Browns rookie Quinshon Judkins arrested in Florida on charge of domestic violence (Dawgs by Nature)
- A positive update on Shemar Stewart working out ‘at’ Texas A&M (Cincy Jungle)
Now, onto some Steelers news and discussion:
AFC North Whiparound: Contract extensions, position battles and players on the bubble
(From The Athletic’s Mike DeFabo): … Cole Holcomb, who was once a do-everything, three-down inside linebacker before a gruesome knee injury derailed his career in 2023. I think Holcomb still makes the team, but I’m unsure about the others.
DeFabo’s response here is in response to a question about which well-known Steelers could be on the roster bubble this summer. DeFabo lists some expected names in Cordarrelle Patterson and DeMarvin Leal, but linebacker Cole Holcomb is a slightly more surprising inclusion even if DeFabo notes he still thinks the veteran makes the team.
Holcomb was a solid starter for the Steelers in 2023 in his first year with the team, but he hasn’t played since the injury DeFabo mentioned. In March, the Steelers and Holcomb revised the last year of his contract to save the team around $5 million in cap space. There was talk of the linebacker even joining the active roster late last season; he should be in playing shape over the summer.
Steelers tease big announcement with another cryptic social media post
(From Steelers Wire’s Andrew Vasquez): On July 14 at 6:00 PM EST, the Steelers dropped a new tease on social media — with another July 21 announcement date.
This “Defined by Legacy” teaser matches last week’s cryptic social media post on the Steelers’ X — the “Forged in Pittsburgh” message, also featuring the July 21 announcement date.
Here’s the social media post in question:
— Pittsburgh Steelers (@steelers) July 14, 2025
The team’s new throwback uniforms will be here in less than a week.
The voice of experience
(From Steelers.com’s Mike Prisuta): The idea along any offensive line is to play the best five, but the ideal lines are often ones that feature a veteran presence upon which younger players can rely.
The Steelers’ veteran presence up front begins and ends with Isaac Seumalo.
And that makes Seumalo a player who is as appreciated as much for who he is and what he’s done as he is counted upon at left guard.
“It’s not like we have a ton of veterans in there,” second-year center Zach Frazier observed. “So it’s really crucial for all of us young players.”
This is a short and sweet feature from Steelers.com outlining what Isaac Seumalo, one of the more underlooked starters on the team, brings to the Pittsburgh offense. Seumalo, who will turn 32 during the upcoming season, is entering the last year of his Steelers contract. He’s also the only starter on the O-line who’s been around longer than his rookie deal.
Execs, coaches, scouts rank NFL’s top 10 off-ball linebackers for 2025
(From ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler): Patrick Queen, Pittsburgh Steelers: “He’s always been a bit up and down. Didn’t think last year was top-10 worthy.” — AFC executive
“He’s at his best as a fast flow run-and-hit WILL backer. I expect him to be better in his second year in Pittsburgh.” — NFC scout
“Has good speed, can close and can blitz, but when he runs backdoor he doesn’t always get there as much as you’d like.” — NFL personnel evaluator
Steelers linebacker Patrick Queen wasn’t named to the ESPN-compiled list of top 10 off-ball linebackers in the NFL as voted on by league executives, scouts, and coaches, but he still landed an honorable mention.
Queen’s former teammate in Baltimore, Roquan Smith, landed at No. 2 on the list.
Queen got off to a slow start in 2024 despite his big-ticket status, but he improved as the year went on and could work his way back into top-10 consideration.
Ranking Steelers’ top 10 players this century: Ben Roethlisberger and Troy Polamalu battle for the top spot
(From CBS Sports’ Bryan DeArdo): 1. Troy Polamalu, SS (2003-14)
The Steelers wouldn’t have won their two most recent Super Bowls without Roethlisberger, but it’s safe to say they wouldn’t have won them without the exploits of Polamalu, either. The team’s best player since 2000, Polamalu gave the Steelers an edge that paid major dividends during two successful playoff runs.
DeArdo ranks who he believes to be the Steelers’ top 10 players (and a handful of honorable mentions) since 2000 in a list that’s worth the read and has solid reasoning. As always, arguments with the order will likely come down to whether you value personal accolades or Super Bowl rings more when it comes to measuring how “good” a certain player was. Plenty of Steelers have garnered both in the last 25 years.
Who’s the top Steeler of the century?
Is Polamalu a bad pick? Uh, no. But in his own ranking, DeArdo admits that quarterback Ben Roethlisberger (his No. 2-ranked player) was the “most responsible for the pair of Vince Lombardi Trophies the team has won this century.”
For those reasons, I’d probably name Big Ben — who still earned six Pro Bowls and is top 10 all-time in both passing yards and touchdowns — as the top player to don the black and gold since 2000.
But you can’t go wrong with either, and it might be even more fun to just create your own top 10 list of the century rather than arguing over two well-deserving names for the top spot.
Who are your top Steelers of the century? Join the BTSC community and let us know in the comments!