When the Pittsburgh Steelers joined 31 other teams in dropping their 2025 regular season schedule during the NFL Schedule Release on NFL Network, nobody gave a second thought about who their team would be playing in the preseason. The Steelers' post about their preseason schedule was so subtle that you probably missed it the first time.
While the regular season is obviously more important, the NFL preseason is a time for draft picks, undrafted free agents, and unproven players to prove their value to the organization and fight for a role on the final 53-man roster. The Steelers have plenty of rookies to get excited about this year, and we now know the matchups they will be getting in their first-ever NFL snaps.
Here are the dates, kickoff times, and opponents for the full Pittsburgh Steelers 2025 preseason schedule.
Pittsburgh Steelers 2025 preseason schedule
WEEK | HOME | AWAY | DATE | TIME |
|---|---|---|---|---|
1 | Jacksonville Jaguars | Pittsburgh Steelers | Aug. 9 | 7:00 p.m. |
2 | Pittsburgh Steelers | Tampa Bay Buccaneers | Aug. 16 | 7:00 p.m. |
3 | Carolina Panthers | Pittsburgh Steelers | Aug. 21 | 7:00 p.m. |
The Pittsburgh Steelers have all summer before they gear up for their first preseason contest, but this will go by quickly. Mike Tomlin's team first hits the road for exhibition action by facing the Jaguars in Jacksonville on Saturday, August 9.
The Steelers will host their lone preseason game at Pittsburgh the following Week on August 16 at 7:00 p.m. at Acrisure Stadium against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. Then, for their preseason finale, Tomlin and his crew will be on the road against the Carolina Panthers after a quick turnaround, playing on Thursday, August 21.
With the NFL's 17-game schedule that began in 2021, the league moved to one fewer preseason game. For most teams, this meant even fewer snaps for key players, while rookies and unproven players got their work cut out for them. That will be the case for Pittsburgh's 2025 draft class.
The Steelers are expected to play their starters sparingly, and they won't risk getting an often banged-up Jaylen Warren injured in the preseason. This means plenty of snaps for third-round rookie running back Kaleb Johnson. The Iowa product will have a chance to show his big-play ability against some underwhelming defenses from a season ago, beginning with Jacksonville.
Steelers fans will also get an extensive look at rookie draft picks like Jack Sawyer, Yahya Black, Carson Bruener, and Donte Kent. Their performances during the preseason could dictate how early they could contribute to the team in their NFL careers.
Because of the popularity of the quarterback position, all eyes will be on Will Howard, as the Ohio State champion QB will aim to carve up the backup secondaries of the Jaguars, Buccaneers, and Panthers. Fans have high hopes for the sixth-round pick.
Derrick Harmon is the biggest question mark here. The first-round pick is expected to be a Day 1 starter for Pittsburgh, and it's possible the team could ease his workload in an attempt to avoid an injury in the preseason.
Football fans are never quite as excited for preseason football, and for obvious reasons. But the Pittsburgh Steelers' 2025 preseason schedule already has the hardcore fans getting excited about seeing the brand new talent on the team this year.