The Pittsburgh Steelers have officially begun their training camp at Saint Vincent College. Despite coming off a 10-6 season and making big improvements to their roster during the offseason, Fox Sports ranks them at a surprisingly low 24th in the NFL. 

Fox Sports NFL reporter Ralph Vacchiano released his training camp power rankings on Tuesday, July 28. Even though the Steelers won the AFC North just nine months ago, he placed them near the bottom of the league and at an overall ranking of No.24.

“A 42-year-old quarterback, a backloaded schedule, and a division with two potential Super Bowl contenders (Ravens, Bengals).” Ralph Vacchiano added. “I know the Steelers are hoping for one last glorious ride for Aaron Rodgers, but they should have started rebuilding around a young QB this year.” 

Vacchiano, in his Fox report, handed the quarterback a tough verdict. To him, while the team hopes for ‘one last glorious ride’ with veteran quarterback Aaron Rodgers, he believes the Steelers "should have started rebuilding the 2026 roster around a young QB this year, who would have given a strong base to the team.

It's a tough verdict for Rodgers since it questions his ability to lead a serious Super Bowl contender at age 42 and suggests the Steelers should already be planning for life after him.

Rodgers played it safe last season. He threw a short-passing style that yielded mixed results. He threw for a decent 3,322 yards and 24 touchdowns while throwing just seven interceptions, showing he was still excellent at protecting the ball. 

This was a dip from the 2024 season that saw him throw for 3,897 yards and 28 touchdowns.

While his overall 94.8 passer rating was respectable, he finished dead last in the league for throw depth. The Fox report believes bringing Rodgers in for yet another season will not be of much help for the team.

Besides the overall dip in the rankings, the Steelers also did not score well among their league rivals.

The Pittsburgh Steelers rank low even in the divisional rankings

The division competition isn't helping the Steelers' outlook either. In the same rankings, the Baltimore Ravens came in at 3rd place, and the Cincinnati Bengals landed at 10th. 

Considering the Steelers' divisional situation during the offseason, reporter Chris Ward of Steelers Now expects the defending division champion Steelers to finish third in their own division. 

"The Steelers are always at least competitive," he wrote. "They haven’t had a losing season since 2003. While last season ended on a brutal note, getting manhandled by the Houston Texans in the Wild Card game, the Steelers won the AFC North for the first time since 2020."

The only team ranked lower than the Steelers is the Cleveland Browns, which sits at 28th in the Fox Sports list. There’s a solid reason behind it. The team is yet to choose its starting player between Deshaun Watson and Shedeur Sanders at quarterback. 

However, this ranking is quite surprising. The Steelers added talent like Michael Pittman Jr., Rico Dowdle, Jamel Dean, and first-round tackle Max Iheanachor.

Additionally, after long-time head coach Mike Tomlin stepped down after 19 years, Mike McCarthy was hired in January to help rebuild an offense that has struggled for years.

Ultimately, the Steelers have a better overall roster today than they did last season. But again, Pittsburgh’s most demanding stretch arrives late in the year, as it takes on the Bengals, Eagles, Broncos, Texans, Jaguars, and Ravens between Weeks 10 and 15.

So, analysts remain skeptical because their starting quarterback is near the end of his career, leaving the team's long-term future uncertain.

Do you think the Steelers deserve the 24th rank? Comment your thoughts below.

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Written by

Aaindri Thakuri

Edited by

Soheli Tarafdar