The Steelers sit at 3-1 as the bye week arrives, with their 2025 rookie class already making noise. Derrick Harmon has become a steady force on the defensive line, while Jack Sawyer and Yahya Black have flashed in limited action. Two late-round rookies look to rejoin the fold soon—Will Howard and Donte Kent—ahead of Week 6 against the Browns. Howard’s return could lock in the third quarterback role, and Kent would bolster a secondary in need as Ramsey heals.

Meanwhile, Cory Trice Jr. looms as a potentially disruptive outside corner when healthy. The bye buys Pittsburgh time to reintegrate key pieces and sharpen the defense around a developing group that includes Harmon, Sawyer, and Black, with Rodgers and Rudolph mentoring Howard as the rookie QB eyeing a larger role. The coming weeks will test how these rookies reshape Pittsburgh’s ceiling late in the season.