The Pittsburgh Steelers are gearing up for their first preseason game of 2025 against the Jacksonville Jaguars, as the team begins their journey to attempt to find playoff success for the first time in eight years. But out of all the notes and signs from training camp—both positive and negative—fans and the media are getting hung up on three storylines that don't matter.
The uniqueness of these storylines may have piqued fans' interest to the point where it's consumed their thoughts as we collectively get hyped for the upcoming season. But at the end of the day, none of these are worth a hill of beans when it comes to the Pittsburgh Steelers' 2025 season outlook.
Pittsburgh Steelers fans need to relax with these three hot storylines
Steelers' 04 personnel is getting blown out of proportion
Was it cool that the Pittsburgh Steelers deployed 04 personnel (four tight end sets) for a few plays at training camp? Of course. Is it going to matter when the season hits? Not at all.
I'm perfectly fine with offensive coordinator Arthur Smith looking to get creative, but there's a reason teams don't run 04 personnel more often: it's not that threatening. The Steelers have one of the deepest tight end rooms in the NFL with Pat Freiermuth, Jonnu Smith, and Darnell Washington. However, that still means that they are getting a mediocre player on the field as the fourth tight end.
As of now, that player is likely to be Connor Heyward. Even if it turns out to be DJ Thomas-Jones or JJ Galbreath, is it really much better? Is there truly a benefit of playing a guy like Heyward on offense over an extra receiver like DK Metcalf or a running back like Jaylen Warren? The answer is no.
Perhaps Smith could prove me wrong, but deploying 04 personnel hardly means getting your best offensive players on the field. I'd expect to see plenty of 13 personnel, with three tight ends on the field at once, but four is simply overkill. There's only so much you can do to try to confuse the opposing defense if it comes at the cost of getting less explosive on the field.
READ MORE: Roman Wilson is finally giving Steelers fans something to get excited about
Mark Robinson taking fullback snaps is a last-ditch effort to make the roster
It wasn't that long ago that fans were losing their minds over Kendrick Green taking snaps at the fullback position during Steelers training camp, only to find out that it was a last-ditch effort for Green to make an impact on the team. Soon after, Pittsburgh sent the busted draft pick packing to the Houston Texans in a trade.
As a seventh-round pick, Mark Robinson is hardly a bust. He's been worth his draft status for his special teams ability alone over the past three years. But now the veteran is in a contract year and needs to find even more versatility to justify sticking around over a younger, more athletic draft pick like Carson Bruener.
I have no doubt Robinson has the frame and physicality to lay the wood as a fullback, but unless he can carve out a full-time gig on offense, his snaps at FB are largely meaningless. Sure, it's a fun storyline from Steelers camp, but one that won't hold any value during the 2025 season.
Steelers' initial preseason depth chart is is not panic-button worthy
As soon as the Pittsburgh Steelers released their initial preseason depth chart, fans were quick to rush to conclusions. Why was Kaleb Johnson listed as the third-string running back? And why was Roman Wilson slotted with the third-team wide receivers? Quite frankly, it doesn't matter.
If you've been keeping tabs on the Steelers' first depth chart over the years, this is nothing out of the norm. Mike Tomlin usually makes an effort to give veteran players the respect they deserve, which explains why Scotty Miller and Robert Woods are ahead of Wilson on the depth chart—even though Wilson has been a starting receiver at camp when the team is in 11 personnel.
We know how much change this depth chart will go through before the start of the season, and Pittsburgh's coaching staff certainly isn't out on their rookie draft picks and promising second-year players. By the start of the season, we will be looking at a very different Steelers depth chart.