Arguably the Pittsburgh Steelers’ greatest strength is their defensive front seven. Headlined by T.J. Watt and Cam Heyward, that unit is routinely one of the best in the league. Star power isn’t the only thing that defines the group, either. Players like Alex Highsmith and Patrick Queen have been quality NFL players as well. However, analyst Mike Renner didn’t put the Steelers’ front seven among the best in the league.

“This is the one that hurt the most to keep from the S-tier, it’s the Pittsburgh Steelers,” Renner said Monday on his Pushing the Pile podcast. “And it’s because of age. I’ll just say it; it wasn’t your S-tier unit last year. T.J. Watt is 30, Cam Heyward is 36. Are they still going to keep up the level of play we’ve known to come to expect from those guys?

“It’s going to be difficult to do so. It gets difficult when you tick over 30, when you tick to 36, the way Heyward has. But they have up-and-comers too. Alex Highsmith, Nick Herbig off the edge, Keeanu Benton, Derrick Harmon, your first rounder.”

Father Time might be the only thing that can stop the Steelers’ front seven. While Watt has been one of the NFL’s best edge rushers, he wasn’t as dominant last year. Specifically, he had a quiet end to 2024, being held without a sack in the final three games of the year. Set to turn 31 this season, maybe his best years are behind him.

Also, it might be a stretch to assume that Heyward can continue to play at an All-Pro level. So far, he’s looked ageless, but that won’t continue forever. Not many defensive linemen have played at a high level at 36.

Renner isn’t only knocking the Steelers’ front seven for age either.

“The other thing that kept me from ranking them in the S-tier, linebacking corps. Patrick Queen, Payton Wilson, they can cover ground. One of the fast linebacking corps in the NFL. You get hands on them, they are liabilities in the running game.”

Renner’s analysis isn’t really wrong. While Queen and Wilson are good coverage linebackers, they have trouble in the run game. That was evident multiple times in 2024. Look at the Steelers’ final two games against the Baltimore Ravens. When Derrick Henry reached the second level, he didn’t often have trouble getting past Pittsburgh’s linebackers.

Like that kid in grade school that everyone wondered about his birth certificate #Steelers #NFL pic.twitter.com/8sGRzGM9Wr

— Steelers Depot 7⃣ (@Steelersdepot) January 12, 2025

Despite all of that, the Steelers’ front seven still often gave opposing offenses fits last season. There’s reason to believe that they improved that group, too. They injected youth and talent into their defensive line with Harmon and Yahya Black. Those two players could help patch the Steelers’ run defense.

Also, Wilson was only a rookie last year. While he had issues as a run defender, he could take steps forward this season. Queen could also be more comfortable after another year in Pittsburgh. He’s committed to putting a better performance forward in 2025, too.

If the Steelers can sign Watt to a contract extension, they should have a chance to have one of the best front sevens in the NFL. They have top-end talent and quality depth. While their stars could start to regress, they have young players to help shoulder responsibilities. Defense is usually the Steelers’ calling card, and that doesn’t seem likely to change this year.