Jalen Ramsey's versatility is key to the scheme that new Steelers defensive coordinator Patrick Graham will implement this season. Charles LeClaire / Imagn ImagesAug. 27, 2026 1:00 pm EDT Updated “The Athletic Football Show” is previewing all 32 teams before the start of the 2026 NFL season. Below are select quotes from the show’s preview of the Pittsburgh Steelers. The quotes are edited for clarity. You can watch the whole preview on YouTube and in the embedded video below, or listen to the full AFC North preview wherever you get your podcasts.Derrik Klassen on what excites him most about the Steelers: Patrick Graham with this collection of defensive talent. It’s a little bit similar to the (Jesse) Minter thing to me where he was able to do so much with fine talent. I think what Graham had been able to do for years at different teams, with so-so talent, or even less than that last year with the Raiders. Now you have a Steelers team that, I know they’re a little bit older, but Jalen Ramsey’s still a good player. Joey Porter Jr., if they figure out the contract, is a really good player. Their defensive front is mean. I’m really excited about what this can look like.
Last year he was calling the defense a little bit under the Pete Carroll vision. Graham’s always been blitz-happy, funky fronts, playing a little bit more man coverage than he did last year. And I think that the talent that he has here in Pittsburgh is a fit for it. I’m excited about what it’s going to look like.Dave Helman on what he’s watching the first month of the season: What the hell’s going on with Joey Porter Jr., man? Impasse. That’s the direct quote from Mike McCarthy. Never want to hear that, by the way. Mike McCarthy says, I understand there’s a business side and a football side, and we’re kind of at an impasse. And then Jalen Ramsey and Patrick Queen are talking about how the Steelers need to pay Joey Porter Jr. what he’s worth. Not what you want to hear if you’re trying to get excited about the Steelers defense achieving a new ceiling in 2026. (The Steelers) don’t typically do deals after the season starts, which puts a pretty firm deadline on when this can get done, and despite that fact, there’s been no progress on talks, even though Porter basically hasn’t had a training camp.Robert Mays on what’s keeping him up at night: This team wins nine games and you send yourself back into purgatory where you’re the Wild Card weekend sacrificial lamb being offered up to the Texans. Where you’re just good enough to be in a spot next spring where you’re like, ‘Who’s going to be the quarterback for this team?’ Maybe it’s Drew Allar. That’s what they’re going to have to bank on. Fine, maybe that is a viable thing. But how many third-round picks who are projects end up becoming guys that you’re able to roll with when the rest of your roster feels like it’s ready to win? That’s my concern. This is a bigger-picture existential dread thing as it relates to this team.Subscribe to “The Athletic Football Show” on YouTube
