Commentary: Even in training camp, the Steelers have become one of the most fascinating teams in the league

The gorgeous mountains off in the distance looked the same. The pristine fields, the spires, the black-and-gold excitement palpable around Saint Vincent College, yeah, all still there, although rain Tuesday dampened that last part. However, there's been a decidedly different feel to this Steelers training camp, a freshness rebutting the staleness that traces back to last season and beyond. Give it to me. All of it. With too many of the same end results, the Steelers badly needed the ongoing chemistry experiment we're witnessing — trades for DK Metcalf, Jalen Ramsey and Jonnu Smith, the signings of Aaron Rodgers and Darius Slay and the addition of potential impactful players in Derrick Harmon and Kaleb Johnson through the draft. Many on Tuesday expected to hear the thumps and thwacks from the first day in pads. Instead, what I saw and (sort of) experienced was a welcomed dose of newness. The Steelers don't have this figured out in late July, and that's OK. There's a long way to go, but at least the roads are new, the scenery changing. After an indoor walkthrough, I asked the person driving the car (Mike Tomlin) about navigating all that change. "That's the job," Tomlin said. "The acquisition of talent, then the development of that talent, the division of labor, it's just the process. Certainly, I enjoy every component of the process." It's actually refreshing to see what the Steelers are doing with Ramsey in the secondary. They're tinkering, trying to see what works best and discarding what doesn't. It's trial-and-error, as the three-time All-Pro will see time in the slot, at outside corner and safety. The last time the Steelers had a chess piece like Ramsey? It's been a minute. These days, the Steelers have a unique advantage given the quality of their top three defensive backs, and it's a smart allocation of resources in a passing league. It's also not even close to the only change. Up a level on defense resides T.J. Watt, who should no longer be taking up permanent residence on the left side. A concerted effort has been made to move Watt around the formation, to create false pressures and otherwise disguise blitzes. It's long overdue. As much as I believe it was an injury that limited Watt down the stretch, a weird intransigence — either on his side or theirs — didn't help, the Steelers' $144 million man limited to just 11½ sacks. That static deployment of Watt seems to be changing. Watt has been moving around the formation. The Steelers' defense as a whole has been better about creating deception, and the sum total should yield results better than their rankings in total defense (12th, 326.7 yards per game allowed) and sacks (tied for 16th, 40) from 2025. "That's something that this time of year is perfect for — to move around and get comfortable," Watt said. We also haven't gotten to what could actually be the most important, and the deficiency that governed the early part of the offseason for the Steelers defense: stopping the run. That was one of the biggest reasons why the Steelers drafted Harmon with the 21st overall pick in April: to help stop the run, beef up the defensive line and increase Pittsburgh's ability to pressure the quarterback. Putting on the pads was one of the reasons why I drove to Latrobe on Tuesday — to see Harmon once real football started — but we'll have to wait another 24 hours for that. The search for newness has been arguably even more high-profile on offense, and early returns have been very good. The relationship between Rodgers and Arthur Smith has been building. Rodgers certainly doesn't look washed, though we'll see when the intensity grows. They need a wide receiver or two to pop, but it doesn't feel like the same old stuff. "Mike T brought in some guys ... I'm not saying it's not a championship organization, but guys who have been to that championship aspect before," Darius Slay said when I asked about the Steelers' busy offseason and fitting the pieces together. "They'll bring that culture around to guys who are younger. We have some younger talent and guys who are trying to get to a Super Bowl. I think that's what he did. We'll try to bring that championship attitude." The secondary has been discussed the most, but how the Steelers have evolved in the offensive backfield also has my attention. Their scheme last year was essentially centered around one player, Najee Harris, whose powerful running style was commendable but probably not an ideal fit for offensive coordinator Arthur Smith's system. So ... wait for it ... they changed. Made me eat my end-of-season words. They also picked someone (Johnson) who's equally as physical but probably more familiar with Smith's desired style of running than anyone else in the draft. There's even a logical timeshare with starter Jaylen Warren and veteran depth option Kenneth Gainwell, the trio forming a far deeper group than last season. When the Steelers, lest anyone forget, had a former substitute teacher lining up at running back. Nothing against poor Aaron Shampklin, who made for a great story, but the Steelers' running game was mediocre at best. It shouldn't be that way now — and that matters with a quarterback who'll turn 42 in December. Whether this script was fully developed following that playoff loss in Baltimore or not, the process of everything coming together has been pretty neat. "I'm really excited about this, and maybe in a lot of ways from that perspective, this is new territory for us," Tomlin said. Yep, the 2025 Steelers are very much a chemistry experiment. They're also not boring. In fact, they're among the most interesting teams in the NFL. Whether they're also one of the best will depend on how well they blend the ingredients in Latrobe.