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Stock report has more winners than losers from Steelers' win in preseason opener at Jacksonville
Sunday, Aug. 10, 2025
For three members of the Pittsburgh Steelers, simply putting on the uniform and playing in a game was deemed a successful outing no matter their contributions in a 31-25 victory at Jacksonville in the preseason opener.
Considering what transpired last year — or in 2023, in one instance — these three players could take a measure of satisfaction away from the preseason victory:
• Cole Holcomb: Playing in his first game in a year and a half because of a gruesome leg injury, he started and had an assisted tackle.
• Troy Fautanu: His rookie season cut short after one game, Fautanu started and played two series. An illegal use of the hands penalty notwithstanding, Fautanu got to test his surgically repaired knee in a game setting.
• Roman Wilson: He had two catches for 24 yards on the opening drive. He missed the entire preseason in his rookie year because of an ankle injury and played just five snaps before a hamstring injury ended his season.
For the rest of the Steelers, there was a mixture of good and bad from the opener. A sampling:
Stock Up
• Skylar Thompson: Until Will Howard broke a finger on his throwing hand, Thompson was ticketed for mop-up duty in the preseason. But with Aaron Rodgers sitting out the opener and the Steelers down to two quarterbacks with practice experience at training camp, Thompson got the bulk of the playing time.
And he made the most of it. Taking over for Mason Rudolph on the third series, Thompson played deep into the fourth quarter. He completed 20 of 28 passes for 233 yards and three touchdowns. His passer rating was a sizzling 132.0.
In the first half, before the benches were emptied on both sides, Thompson completed 8 of 9 passes for 83 yards that included a 3-yard touchdown toss to Max Hurleman while executing the two-minute hurry-up offense.
Thompson still might find himself on the outside looking in when roster cuts are made, but he stated a case for employment by one of the other 31 teams.
• Beanie Bishop: The second-year slot corner from West Virginia was the forgotten man after the acquisition of Jalen Ramsey. But Bishop showed in the first half that he could be a useful component of the defense.
Bishop started and finished with five tackles and a pass breakup. He was targeted in coverage, but aside from an 18-yard completion, he made his tackles at the point of attack and allowed no gains longer than 5 yards.
Bishop likely won’t be on the field to start in the regular season, but he showed he has a spot on the roster. Plus, he contributed on special teams.
• Carson Bruener: The seventh-round pick and son of former Steelers tight end Mark Bruener had a quiet training camp. Maybe he was just waiting for the competition to amp up in an actual game setting.
The inside linebacker’s path to earning a roster spot depends on how he fares in special teams. He didn’t waste any time making an impact for position coach Danny Smith. Bruener had a tackle on the opening kickoff and finished with two unassisted tackles and one assisted on special teams.
Bruener also had four tackles on defense in the second half.
Stock Down
• Running game: Kaleb Johnson had a largely forgettable pro debut. He totaled 20 yards rushing on eight carries, an average of 2.5 yards per pop. He also was responsible for Mason Rudolph’s only incompletion when he dropped a pass.
In the second half, Johnson was stopped for no gain on a fourth-and-1 run to the right side. By that point, though, Johnson was running behind the second-team offensive line that essentially consisted of third-teamers because of injuries to backups Calvin Anderson and Ryan McCollum, and with Spencer Anderson moving up to the first team to replace a resting Isaac Seumalo.
The Steelers averaged just 2.6 yards per rush, a figure buoyed by Lew Nichols’ 31 yards rushing on six attempts in the final quarter.
• Defensive line/pass rush: First-round pick Derrick Harmon saw the field plenty in the opener. He was still in the game in the fourth quarter as part of the defensive line rotation. Harmon’s contributions were hard to judge, though, because he didn’t register on the stat sheet. That’s not uncommon for a nose tackle, but Harmon was largely quiet in his first game.
DeMarvin Leal can’t use inexperience as an excuse. Leal is in his fourth preseason with the Steelers, and the former third-round pick didn’t stand out whether he was playing at defensive end or outside linebacker.
Leal is in a fight to earn a roster spot this year, and he didn’t help his cause by registering one quarterback hit and no other stats despite extensive playing time.
Sunday, Aug. 10, 2025
For three members of the Pittsburgh Steelers, simply putting on the uniform and playing in a game was deemed a successful outing no matter their contributions in a 31-25 victory at Jacksonville in the preseason opener.
Considering what transpired last year — or in 2023, in one instance — these three players could take a measure of satisfaction away from the preseason victory:
• Cole Holcomb: Playing in his first game in a year and a half because of a gruesome leg injury, he started and had an assisted tackle.
• Troy Fautanu: His rookie season cut short after one game, Fautanu started and played two series. An illegal use of the hands penalty notwithstanding, Fautanu got to test his surgically repaired knee in a game setting.
• Roman Wilson: He had two catches for 24 yards on the opening drive. He missed the entire preseason in his rookie year because of an ankle injury and played just five snaps before a hamstring injury ended his season.
For the rest of the Steelers, there was a mixture of good and bad from the opener. A sampling:
Stock Up
• Skylar Thompson: Until Will Howard broke a finger on his throwing hand, Thompson was ticketed for mop-up duty in the preseason. But with Aaron Rodgers sitting out the opener and the Steelers down to two quarterbacks with practice experience at training camp, Thompson got the bulk of the playing time.
And he made the most of it. Taking over for Mason Rudolph on the third series, Thompson played deep into the fourth quarter. He completed 20 of 28 passes for 233 yards and three touchdowns. His passer rating was a sizzling 132.0.
In the first half, before the benches were emptied on both sides, Thompson completed 8 of 9 passes for 83 yards that included a 3-yard touchdown toss to Max Hurleman while executing the two-minute hurry-up offense.
Thompson still might find himself on the outside looking in when roster cuts are made, but he stated a case for employment by one of the other 31 teams.
• Beanie Bishop: The second-year slot corner from West Virginia was the forgotten man after the acquisition of Jalen Ramsey. But Bishop showed in the first half that he could be a useful component of the defense.
Bishop started and finished with five tackles and a pass breakup. He was targeted in coverage, but aside from an 18-yard completion, he made his tackles at the point of attack and allowed no gains longer than 5 yards.
Bishop likely won’t be on the field to start in the regular season, but he showed he has a spot on the roster. Plus, he contributed on special teams.
• Carson Bruener: The seventh-round pick and son of former Steelers tight end Mark Bruener had a quiet training camp. Maybe he was just waiting for the competition to amp up in an actual game setting.
The inside linebacker’s path to earning a roster spot depends on how he fares in special teams. He didn’t waste any time making an impact for position coach Danny Smith. Bruener had a tackle on the opening kickoff and finished with two unassisted tackles and one assisted on special teams.
Bruener also had four tackles on defense in the second half.
Stock Down
• Running game: Kaleb Johnson had a largely forgettable pro debut. He totaled 20 yards rushing on eight carries, an average of 2.5 yards per pop. He also was responsible for Mason Rudolph’s only incompletion when he dropped a pass.
In the second half, Johnson was stopped for no gain on a fourth-and-1 run to the right side. By that point, though, Johnson was running behind the second-team offensive line that essentially consisted of third-teamers because of injuries to backups Calvin Anderson and Ryan McCollum, and with Spencer Anderson moving up to the first team to replace a resting Isaac Seumalo.
The Steelers averaged just 2.6 yards per rush, a figure buoyed by Lew Nichols’ 31 yards rushing on six attempts in the final quarter.
• Defensive line/pass rush: First-round pick Derrick Harmon saw the field plenty in the opener. He was still in the game in the fourth quarter as part of the defensive line rotation. Harmon’s contributions were hard to judge, though, because he didn’t register on the stat sheet. That’s not uncommon for a nose tackle, but Harmon was largely quiet in his first game.
DeMarvin Leal can’t use inexperience as an excuse. Leal is in his fourth preseason with the Steelers, and the former third-round pick didn’t stand out whether he was playing at defensive end or outside linebacker.
Leal is in a fight to earn a roster spot this year, and he didn’t help his cause by registering one quarterback hit and no other stats despite extensive playing time.
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