In just a few weeks, players on the 91-man offseason roster — along with the media and thousands of fans — will descend on Saint Vincent College in Latrobe for another edition of Pittsburgh Steelers training camp.
This summer will bring a lot of new for the Black and Gold, with a number of new players on the roster, a new head coach for the first time in 20 years, and nearly an entirely new coaching staff under head coach Mike McCarthy.
There’s a general buzz of excitement in the buildup to training camp. We’re not there yet though.
Instead, we have a few weeks left to cover, and to do that, we continue the annual summer series here at Steelers Depot of Ranking The Steelers’ Starters.
If you missed the first six parts of the series, you can view No. 24-22 to No. 9-7 below.
Ranking The Steelers’ Starters: No. 24-22
Ranking The Steelers’ Starters: No. 21-19
Ranking The Steelers’ Starters: No. 18-16
Ranking The Steelers’ Starters: No. 15-13
Ranking The Steelers’ Starters: No. 12-10
Ranking The Steelers’ Starters: No. 9-7
Here is my projected Steelers starting lineup, kicker and punter included, for the regular-season opener against the Atlanta Falcons.
*Italics indicate the player has been covered in the series.
OFFENSE
QB — Aaron Rodgers
RB — Jaylen Warren
WR — DK Metcalf
WR — Michael Pittman Jr.
WR — Germie Bernard
TE — Darnell Washington
LT — Troy Fautanu
LG — Mason McCormick
C — Zach Frazier
RG — Spencer Anderson
RT — Dylan Cook
DEFENSE
DE — Cameron Heyward
NT — Keeanu Benton
DE — Derrick Harmon
OLB — Alex Highsmith
ILB — Patrick Queen
ILB — Payton Wilson
OLB — T.J. Watt
CB — Jamel Dean
CB — Joey Porter Jr.
S — Jalen Ramsey
S — DeShon Elliott
SPECIAL TEAMS
K — Chris Boswell
P — Cameron Johnston
Here’s how the Ranking The Steelers’ Starters series looks so far.
No. 24 — Cameron Johnston, P
No. 23 — Germie Bernard, WR
No. 22 — Spencer Anderson, RG
No. 21 — Dylan Cook, RT
No. 20 — Keeanu Benton, NT
No. 19 — Payton Wilson, ILB
No. 18 — Patrick Queen, ILB
No. 17 — Jaylen Warren, RB
No. 16 — Darnell Washington, TE
No. 15 — Aaron Rodgers, QB
No. 14 — Mason McCormick, LG
No. 13 — Derrick Harmon, DE
No. 12 — Jalen Ramsey, S
No. 11 — Michael Pittman Jr., WR
No. 10 — DeShon Elliott, S
No. 9 — DK Metcalf, WR
No. 8 — Jamel Dean, CB
No. 7 — Troy Fautanu, LT
Without further ado, let’s dive into the latest piece in the series, looking at No. 6-4 today.
No. 6 — ALEX HIGHSMITH, OLB
When healthy, there are few better outside linebackers in the game than Highsmith. He’s a force off the edge with good speed and power, plays the run well, and generates a ton of pressure. The only problem is that staying healthy has been a real issue for Highsmith in recent years.
He hasn’t played a full season since 2023 and has missed six and four games in each of the last two seasons with various ailments, from a groin injury to multiple ankle injuries.
Availability is your best ability, and Highsmith has struggled in that department. But when on the field he’s a vital part of the Steelers’ defense. He’s coming off a 9.5-sack season and is poised for an even bigger year in 2026 under new defensive coordinator Patrick Graham.
There are questions about his future in Pittsburgh given T.J. Watt’s presence and Nick Herbig’s recent extension. But in 2026, there’s a ton of confidence in Highsmith being one of the Steelers’ best players once again.
No. 5 — JOEY PORTER JR., CB
What a trajectory Joey Porter Jr. is on at this point in his career. After a rough second season in which he struggled with penalties, Porter broke out in his third year, putting it all together to become a dominant coverage corner. Now, he’s poised to land a massive extension this summer.
Last season, Porter cleaned up the penalties, shook off an early-season injury and turned in a dominant year. He held opposing quarterbacks to under 50% completion rate, recorded 11 passes defensed and didn’t give up a touchdown for the third year in a row.
Though he doesn’t have the interceptions many look for when discussing the elite NFL cornerbacks, Porter is a darn good one, one who is only going to continue to ascend.
No. 4 — T.J. WATT, OLB
For the first time in this series, T.J. Watt falls out of the top 3. This is one I went back and forth on.
I still believe Watt can be a great pass rusher and should make major improvements under Graham’s guidance. But he has shown signs of slowing down, and has dealt with some ailments in recent years, though last season’s lung issue wasn’t his fault.
Watt is coming off just 7.0 sacks last season in 13 games. He also saw a significant dip in pressures, generating just 46 of them, his lowest since 2022 when he missed a number of games with a pectoral injury. Hopefully Watt moves around a bit more this season to throw opposing offenses off and can generate more pressures and splash plays to remind many of just how great he is.