The Steelers keep circling the same issue, and it’s the one spot on defense they still haven’t settled: safety.
That’s been true since training camp opened. Pittsburgh didn’t exactly lack bodies back there, but the problem was fit. DeShon Elliott, Jaquan Brisker and Sebastian Castro all lean toward the same kind of role - the box safety type who’s more comfortable near the line of scrimmage than roaming deep.
Robert Spears-Jennings gives them a different look. The rookie was the fastest safety at the NFL Combine, and he’s the closest thing on the roster to a true free safety.
But the Steelers aren’t at the point where they feel good about handing him that job right away. Jalen Ramsey also looks like a possible answer there, though he still hasn’t taken part in camp.
Darnell Savage got a shot, but that ended quickly, with the former first-round pick already released.
So Pittsburgh moved again, bringing in Rayshawn Jenkins. It’s his fifth team in ten years, and Steelers fans already know the name for another reason: his poor behavior with a Terrible Towel.
Even with that addition, the search didn’t stop. The Steelers added another defensive back last night.
Israel Mukuamu is the latest arrival. At 6’4” and over 200 pounds, the former Cowboy and Panther brings size, and he’s got more than 50 games under his belt despite making only three starts in five seasons.
A former South Carolina Gamecock, Mukuamu has mostly been a special teams player, and that’s where he may help most right away. If that’s the real plan, then the safety issue still isn’t solved.
There’s credit to go around here. Mike McCarthy and Patrick Graham are at least attacking a weakness instead of pretending it isn’t there.
Graham has leaned on two-deep looks a lot so far, and that can lessen the need for a classic free safety. But no defense gets through a season living in one look.
Teams still go single-high, and when they do, somebody has to be able to cover a lot of ground.
That’s why the Steelers are likely to stay busy as cuts start across the league. They know where the backbone of this defense has to be, and finding the right safety remains one of their biggest priorities as August continues.
In Other News...
Steelers Suddenly Have Real Doubt About Will Howards Backup Push
Will Howards push to become Aaron Rodgers backup has hit a familiar training-camp snag for a young quarterback: the flashes are there, but the trust factor is not. Through camp, Howard has been battling for the No. 2 job in Pittsburgh, and the early view has been uneven enough that the competition still feels very much alive. Mason Rudolph, meanwhile, has done enough to look like the steadier option if the Steelers had to sort out the depth chart today.
For Howard, the next chance to change that perception comes in the preseason game against Green Bay, where every throw will matter a little more than it does in practice. The path is clear enough: show he can be more consistent in the middle of the field and when pushing the ball downfield, and the conversation around the backup job gets a lot more interesting. Until then, the Steelers are left weighing upside against reliability behind Rodgers. [Read more 🡒]
Steelers Tight End Competition Just Got More Crowded Again
The tight end room in Pittsburgh picked up another body this week, with Lance Mason joining the mix after a stop in Seattle. The Steelers moved quickly on the undrafted rookie from the 2026 NFL Draft, betting on a player whose college path included Missouri State and Wisconsin, where he earned Second-Team All-Big Ten honors and showed enough to keep drawing NFL attention.
Mason arrives at a time when every available rep matters for a position still sorting itself out, and the roster move had an immediate ripple effect. To create the opening, Pittsburgh parted with J.J. Galbreath, a reminder that even the back end of the depth chart is feeling the squeeze as the Steelers keep churning the competition. [Read more 🡒]
Steelers Camp Just Raised A Real Question About Their QB Depth
The offense has looked a little cleaner during recent training camp work at Saint Vincent College, which is at least a step in the right direction for a Steelers unit trying to find some rhythm. There have been encouraging signs elsewhere on the field too, with undrafted rookie Kevin Jobity Jr. making his presence felt as an interior pass rusher and Anderson continuing to strengthen his case in the battle for the starting right guard spot.
Still, the quarterback room has become a more interesting subplot as camp unfolds. A rookie has had trouble with decision-making and accuracy, and those kinds of growing pains can quickly become a bigger concern when a team is trying to piece together dependable depth behind its top options. For Pittsburgh, the early camp progress is real, but so is the reminder that one shaky stretch at quarterback can change how the entire depth chart is viewed. [Read more 🡒]