Pittsburgh, PA – July 31, 2025
For the past two seasons, the Steelers’ defense has been good — just not terrifying. And in this city, “good” doesn’t cut it. Not when the ghosts of Troy Polamalu, James Harrison, and the Steel Curtain still echo through Acrisure Stadium. The hits don’t sound the same. The fear isn’t there. And in Baltimore, Cincinnati, and Kansas City, that’s been a problem.
This summer, the tone has changed.
The coaches aren’t calling it a rebuild. They’re calling it a recalibration. A philosophical shift. Less about reading — more about reacting. Less holding gaps — more collapsing them. It’s a message whispered in meetings and screamed during full-speed goal-line drills: We’re done waiting. We’re attacking now.
“We’ve been physical,” one coach told local reporters. “But we haven’t been disruptive enough. That’s the change. We’re not just trying to stand our ground. We’re trying to take theirs.”
The face of that change isn’t a flashy free-agent signing or a grizzled vet. It’s a rookie — and he’s not built like a project. He’s built like a problem.
Derrick Harmon, the Steelers’ first-round pick out of Oregon, is redefining the middle of Pittsburgh’s defense. At 6'4½", 313 pounds, Harmon isn’t just eating double teams — he’s breaking them. His hand violence, first-step quickness, and ability to anchor against the run have made him impossible to ignore. And his presence has started to shift how the entire front seven operates.
“He’s blowing up protections before they even get set,” said one scout on the sideline. “We haven’t had that kind of interior havoc in years.”
But it’s not just about talent. It’s about timing. The Steelers didn’t just draft a powerful nose tackle. They drafted one when they were finally ready to cut loose. And they’re building around his aggression — shifting linebacker responsibilities, sliding ends wider, daring teams to challenge the middle.
The result? A defense that looks different — faster, meaner, hungrier. And with Derrick Harmon at the center of the storm, the Steel Curtain might not be back. But it’s definitely moving again.
