The Pittsburgh Steelers made headlines when it was announced that they had acquired corner Jalen Ramsey, tight end Jonnu Smith, and a 2027 seventh-round draft pick from the Miami Dolphins. While it certainly came at a cost — Pittsburgh had to part ways with star safety Minkah Fitzpatrick and a 2027 fifth-round pick to get the deal over the line — it’s obvious that the Steelers are serious about winning now, or at least remaining competitive. But, now the question moves to this: How will this trade impact the Steelers, and does it help them become a legitimate force in the AFC?
There are obviously still questions lingering about the Steelers going into this season. Having signed veteran quarterback Aaron Rodgers, many have wondered if the future Hall of Famer can still go at 41 years old, especially coming off an underwhelming stint with the New York Jets. There is also the ongoing saga of T.J. Watt’s contract situation, which could be one of the most destructive holdouts in the NFL this season should things not get resolved. And we haven’t even mentioned the lack of a true WR2 yet. But these are separate issues, and we’ll try to make things as uncomplicated as possible.
As we’ve done several times in the past, we made the deal in Madden 25 to see how the team would perform after the Jalen Ramsay trade. Here’s what we found.
Rules Of The Simulation
Unlike past simulations we’ve done, I decided to change the real-life roster as little as possible. Therefore, I didn’t add a legitimate second wide receiver option, so Calvin Austin III has to prove his worth. However, some decisions had to be made.
Despite the drama surrounding his contract negotiations, I’ve kept T.J. Watt on the team. Because at the end of the day, I don’t see the Steelers dealing him out, even if he continues to play hardball. I think the two parties will eventually come to terms on a new agreement by the time the preseason starts.
The only snag I hit was doing the actual trade, which left Pittsburgh with less than the number of allowed free safeties on their squad. So what I did was sign free agent Eddie Jackson. Otherwise, I ensured Juan Thornhill — who’s already on the roster — was the starter.
One last thing: I’m not controlling anything when it comes to the front office. Everything in this Franchise mode save has been set to be done automatically, including the depth chart.
Now that we’ve gotten all of that out of the way, let’s get into the results of the simulations. We ran three separate simulations to see if we could find any consistencies or outliers.
Simulation 1: Steelers Miss The Playoffs Despite Having A Great Defense
In the first simulation I did, the Steelers were… OK. They finished 9-8, a bit better than they usually have in these sims. Unfortunately, while Mike Tomlin’s winning season streak was maintained, Pittsburgh narrowly missed the playoffs. But that wasn’t due to bad defense.
In fact, the Steelers allowed the third-fewest points against in the entire league. The newly acquired Ramsey had 4 interceptions on the year, 2 forced fumbles, as well as 69 total tackles. Jonnu Smith predictably played second fiddle to Pat Freiermuth, but did chip in with 11 receptions and two touchdowns.
So, why did the Steelers miss the playoffs in this save? Well, despite Aaron Rodgers actually having a respectable season in terms of stats, the team finished 26th in the league in passing yards. I attribute this to the team not having a legitimate WR 2 option, with DK Metcalf being the only wide receiver who can actually make things happen.
Simulation 2: Steelers Are Slightly Worse As The Defense Regresses
So, I’ll spare you the suspense: The Steelers’ offense didn’t get any better in the second simulation. Unfortunately, the defense took a step back as it was significantly less dominant than the previous season. The reason for that seems to be that the team had to deal without the services of Watt, Alex Highsmith, Patrick Queen, and Cameron Heyward at various points during the season.
Again, Ramsey was pretty solid, combining for 77 tackles and 3 interceptions. Jonnu Smith had a receiving touchdown as well. Unfortunately, the Steelers finished 8-9, meaning that not only was the winning season streak over, but that they again failed to make the playoffs.
Surprisingly, Rodgers had another solid season.
Simulation 3: Another 9-8 Season Ends With No Playoff Berth
For the third straight time, the Steelers couldn’t crack 10 wins. And surprise, surprise — it wasn’t good enough to get them into the playoffs in the competitive AFC North. And again, it wasn’t down to the defense. Aaron Rodgers performed significantly worse than he had in the previous two simulations, which certainly didn’t help things. In fact, Pittsburgh ranked 29th in the NFL in offensive yards.
On the other hand, the defense showed out again, allowing the fourth-fewest points in the entire league. And that was despite missing Patrick Queen for 7 games. Jalen Ramsey picked up his game, snatching 5 interceptions on the season whilst combining for 75 tackles.
On the offensive side, however, Jonna Smith contributed next to nothing. In 17 games, he had one reception for 5 yards. That’s it.
Final Thoughts
In two out of the three sims we did, the Steelers’ defense was playing at an elite clip. Even without Minkah Fitzpatrick, the combination of T.J. Watt, Jalen Ramsey, Alex Highsmith, Cameron Heyward, and Patrick Queen was too much for the opposition to cope with.
The problem is the offense. Despite having some great seasons sharing the limelight with Najee Harris, Jaylen Warren didn’t crack 1,000 yards rushing in any of our simulations. Aaron Rodgers was mostly good, but his lack of weapons hurt his effectiveness.
Here’s the thing: According to Madden 25, the Steelers are a WR 2 away from being a competitor. Even if Jaylen Warren doesn’t play his best, the Steelers are sturdy enough on defense to stifle teams, and Rodgers is still good enough to consistently make throws. But without another wide receiver not named D.K. Metcalf, they don’t have the firepower.
