The signing of safety DeShon Elliott to a new three-year contract this week was another solid offseason move.
Elliott, signed to a two-year deal last offseason, was extremely effective for the Steelers in 2024, finishing second on the team with 108 tackles, one interception, three fumble recoveries and six pass defenses.
He was an excellent run defender. Per Pro Football Reference, he missed just three tackles on 111 attempts last season, giving him a misseshred tackle rate of just 2.7 percent that was among the best in the NFL.
In fact, paired with Minkah Fitzpatrick, whose missed tackle rate was just 4 percent, the Steelers might have the best pair of tackling starting safeties in the NFL.
Beyond that, a deeper look at Elliott's pass defense numbers show how effective he was in that part of the game, as well, in 2024.
While he allowed a 66.1 percent completion percentage, that doesn't tell the whole story. Elliott also allowed just 5.2 yards per attempt in his coverage and 7.9 yards per completion.
So, while he gave up 39 completions, they went for just 308 yards, meaning opposing quarterbacks posted an 88.2 passer rating when targeting him in coverage.
For a player who had just one interception, that's very good.
Elliott also quickly established himself as a vocal leader within the Steelers' locker room. His voice is a respected one.
It was shrewd to lock him up now rather than wait until the end of the season to do so. It takes one more thing off the team's plate at the end of the 2025 season and keeps a good football player in a Steelers uniform.
• New Steelers quarterback Aaron Rodgers confirmed on an appearance on the Pat McAfee Show that he's likely to retire after the 2025 season.
"I'm pretty sure this is it," Rodgers said. "That's why we just did a one-year deal. (The) Steelers didn't need to put any extra years on it or anything. This was really about finishing with a lot of love and fun and peace for the career that I've had.
"I've played 20 years. It's been a long run, and I've enjoyed it. What better place to finish than in one of the cornerstone franchises in the NFL? With Mike Tomlin and great leadership and great guys and a city that expects you to win."
Rodgers, quite frankly, likely didn't want to go out the way the Jets' season ended last season. He's been a winner over the course of his career and that 5-12 record had to sting, not that it was his fault.
No team ran the ball less than the Jets in 2024. Only three teams ran the ball more than the Steelers.
Too much of the offense was put on Rodgers' shoulders in New York last year, likely because of the draft capital New York gave up to acquire him.
The Steelers might run it a little bit less with Rodgers on board, but they are still going to be a run-heavy offense, which should help the quarterback be more effective.
• It seems impossible to look at this Steelers roster and not see that it has been upgraded.
The defensive line looks more talented and deep. The same could be said at both inside and outside linebacker, safety and even cornerback.
On the offensive side of things, Rodgers is a clear upgrade over the players the Steelers started in 2024. And while the Steelers will miss the 1,000 rushing yards they could write in at the start of all four of his seasons from Najee Harris, they promise to be more explosive there with the additions of Kenneth Gainwell and rookie Kaleb Johnson.
The offensive line is younger, but potentially more talented overall than the starting group at the opening of training camp a year ago. And the tight ends all have another year of experience under their belts and could all be reaching their prime together.
Some might look at wide receiver as an area where the Steelers did not upgrade. But that's also not necessarily true. While it would have been nice to see how DK Metcalf and George Pickens challenged defenses, Metcalf is a much more polished and accomplished receiver than Pickens.
That's no knock on Pickens. He's extremely talented.
Where things are different from a year ago is that Calvin Austin III took a big step forward last season. Heading into the season, he was more of an unknown.
And even though Roman Wilson didn't see much in terms of playing time in 2024 because of injuries, he was around the team all season and returned to practice late in the year.
The Steelers also didn't have Ben Skowronek on their initial roster in 2024, signing him only after the season began. He's a valuable member of this roster.
The Steelers have built a deep and talented roster, one that will surprise a lot of naysayers in 2025.
• John Norwig, the Steelers head trainer for 32 years, and Dick Hoak, who spent 45 years with the Steelers as both a player and coach, were both honored this week by the Pro Football Hall of Fame with "Awards of Excellence."
Anyone who knows both men knows that honor was well-deserved.
Norwig and Hoak embodied what it is to be part of the support staff that helps the team on the field. They often toiled in anonymity, but their efforts were much appreciated by the players over the years.
Just as importantly, both are outstanding human beings.
Congratulations to both, who will now be part of a display at the Hall of Fame.
• Dale Lolley is co-host of "SNR Drive" on Steelers Nation Radio. Subscribe to the podcast here: Apple Podcast | iHeart Podcast Pittonline@iheartmedia.com
• The final note this week is to remind everyone that this is the time of year when web sites and newspapers come out with their lists.
There's nothing going on when it comes to NFL teams. Coaches and players are on vacation. Team facilities are all but vacant. Even the league office shuts down.
So, news organizations have to come up with something to write that is going to get them the traffic or readership to keep things going. And everyone reads lists.
The top 25 this. The best of that. You know the drill. You've seen them.
But one thing not to do is get caught up in them. They are typically the opinion of one person or even a few. But that's what they are … opinion.
And the more controversial the opinion, the more clicks.
