An elite football IQ: Making a trade after a full offseason program, and not long before training camp, is something that could potentially cause waves for a team.
But when you bring in a leader like Jalen Ramsey, that isn't a concern.
Ramsey has been a leader from the moment he was traded to the Steelers from the Miami Dolphins, giving the secondary a new feel.
"I think you see it at camp," said Assistant General Manager Andy Weidl. "I think he really enjoyed training camp, just observing him and watching him pour to the younger players, the defensive backs.
"A guy like that, when he gives his time, his wisdom, to younger players, they see how his approach is, it's a great example. I would imagine the young players see that guy and his reputation, his ability, and you want to do stuff like, if you can."
Not only has Ramsey brought leadership to the defense, but he has brought a different attitude, a swagger that comes with the resume he has.
"Jalen Ramsey is a Hall of Fame player," said Weidl. "He's a Hall of Fame talent coming out of Florida State. Know him very well. Not only is he gifted physically, his ability, his speed, his athleticism, his ability to accelerate, close, play the ball.
"But, also his mindset. He's an elite football IQ guy. He has a positionless quality to him, where he can line up in different positions on the defense and play at a high level.
"I think Jalen Ramsey, he is a vicious player. You watch him hit; watch the mentality he plays with. He is aggressive. He's a violent hitter. That mindset becomes contagious. Guys like that, an elite talent like that, elite football IQ in the physicality that he plays with, that becomes contagious. I've seen it different places. We have a physical group to begin with and adding a guy like that is just great. I think it just becomes even more contagious to the room when you bring a guy with that mindset and that ability.
"We saw an opportunity there to get a guy like him. Credit to (General Manager) Omar (Khan) for pulling the trigger on that. Chuck (Clark), Juan (Thornhill), they played a lot of football. They have over 70 starts each in the NFL. They both have a high football IQ and a willingness to tackle and play physical. So those guys, Malik (Harrison), he's a heavy-handed downhill player in the second level. Our draft picks obviously bringing those guys in.
"We needed to improve the physicality of our team. We all saw how the season ended last year. We had to get stronger up front, we had to get bigger up front and infuse youth. We felt we did that. We'll see, time will tell.
"Seeing these guys keep growing, every day we learn a little bit more about them. We want to be big, physical, smash the run, and rush and cover, get the defense off the field, get the ball back to the offense."
Liking what he sees: A hot topic of conversation this week has been rookie running back Kaleb Johnson, the third-round pick out of Iowa.
In his first preseason game last week against the Jacksonville Jaguars, Johnson had eight carries for 20 yards.
Coach Mike Tomlin said he would like to see Johnson play more instinctively, something he expects to be on display this week against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.
"I just want to see him trust himself more," said Tomlin. "I want to see him play more instinctually, trust his talents. That's reasonable to expect between the first experience and the second experience."
Johnson's expectations for himself are the same.
"I'm more comfortable," said Johnson. "Getting out there last time, just getting my feet wet and getting used to the new atmosphere and stuff like that.
"So, it should be better.
"It just comes to me being comfortable and going out there and doing what I need to do."
When Assistant General Manager Andy Weidl spoke on Thursday, one of the first things he was asked about was Johnson. Weidl is impressed with what he has seen so far from Johnson through training camp and is looking forward to more to come.
"He's a hard worker," said Weidl. "He runs to the challenge. He's a guy that football is really important to him, and you're seeing growth with him. We expect growth from last week to this week.
"It's just a starting point last week, first game for young guy. There are some good things to build off. I think a lot of the rookies, we want to see growth from week one to week two, and I think that's a realistic expectation with Kaleb."
Weidl knows that taking advantage of his instincts is something that is common for Johnson, which is one of the reasons they drafted him.
"I think his ability, his vision, his instincts, ability to run into a loaded box and find a crease, explosive plays, his ability to break tackles," said Weidl of what he liked about his days at Iowa. "The power he ran with, the longer the game went, the stronger he got. It's a lot of horsepower in his lower body.
"A young guy of good size, good instincts, good feel. He really fits the outside zone scheme that (offensive coordinator) Arthur (Smith) runs. There's alignment there. We thought he was an arrow up guy, a guy with a lot of upside."
Strong up front: Last year the Steelers offensive line was young and inexperienced, with two rookies starting the majority of the season.
This year, things have changed. With center Zach Frazier and guard Maron McCormick having a year under their belt, and veteran guard Isaac Seumalo and tackle Broderick Jones, experience isn't an issue. Yes, tackle Troy Fautanu lacks the experience after spending most of the 2024 season on the Reserve/Injured List, but he was able to take plenty of mental reps which will benefit him this season.
"I think every day they go out there together, they get better," said Assistant General Manager Andy Weidl. "I think they have the right mindset. I think if you watch these guys in practice, when they come off the field in team, they start running wind sprints. They go to the side. It's a culture that they're developing, like they want to be in shape. They do it together.
"I just think, as a young group, you want to watch them grow together. Anytime you can have continuity with that, as those guys come up and they gain that experience, they work together, it's only going to serve them well and serve our team well.
"We know the players that we drafted. We know the people that we drafted, the relationship with the game. As Coach (Mike Tomlin) often talks about football maturity. They have football character, a love for the game. It's just pretty exciting to watch these guys grow together."
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