Mike Tomlin was clear about one thing: he wants options, especially in his secondary. Not potential. Not development guys. Real options. The kind of players who don’t flinch when a game tilts on one play. Behind Juan Thornhill, things get thin fast. Miles Killebrew is a special teams ace, but ask him to cover the deep third consistently, and things start to wobble. And Minkah Fitzpatrick? Gone. That’s not just 100 tackles and range erased; that’s leadership, communication, and structure.
And after the rollercoaster safety carousel Pittsburgh rode last year? It’s not a coincidence that Chuck Clark is now in Latrobe. The Steelers didn’t blast the news with fireworks. No dramatic Mike Tomlin presser. Just a subtle roster drop, Clark is a Steeler. And sure, as Brian Batko tweeted, “Steelers have added veteran safety help in 30-year-old Chuck Clark, former Ravens and Jets starter. Not saying he’s a definite 53-man roster guy, but a backup to Juan Thornhill was needed on-paper.” That’s a massive addition.
Mike Tomlin believes Clark is more than a camp body. He’s a calculated insurance policy and possibly, a midseason solution. He’s started 75 games in his career, played 108, and piled up 453 total tackles, 34 pass breakups, 5 interceptions, 6 forced fumbles, and 4.5 sacks. And if his ACL comeback year in 2024 is any indicator (12 games, 69 tackles, 2 PDs, sack, forced fumble), then Clark didn’t lose much juice. He just got smarter.
Steelers have added veteran safety help in 30-year-old Chuck Clark, former Ravens and Jets starter. Not saying he’s a definite 53-man roster guy, but a backup to Juan Thornhill was needed on-paper.
— Brian Batko (@BrianBatko) July 25, 2025
This is a team that needed help. Thornhill might be the guy now, but let’s not act like the depth chart is loaded. Minkah’s gone. And Clark gives this staff options. He’s played in every spot, box, deep, nickel, and across seven active seasons; he was always more than just a warm body.
Don’t get caught up in the fact that he missed all of 2023. Outside that torn ACL, Clark was a model of durability. From 2019 through 2022, he didn’t miss a single regular-season game. That stretch included a 96-tackle season in 2020 and a pick-six in 2021.
Clark knows the AFC North cold. That includes Lamar Jackson’s cadence. Mike Tomlin’s team faces Baltimore in Week 14 and again in the season finale. So let’s read between the lines. They’re not handing Chuck Clark a roster spot yet. But if this training camp plays out the way it often does? A hamstring here. A coverage bust there. Suddenly, he’s in the huddle in Week 4. And once he’s in? Good luck pulling him out.
The defense becomes even more important as their signal caller struggles to find his feet.
Aaron Rodgers fails in his first test in Pittsburgh
Aaron Rodgers arrived in Latrobe with a golden arm, a legacy richer than the franchise he had just joined, and Mike Tomlin’s conviction that he was there to save the Steelers. But on Day 1, that belief took its first bruising. The very first snap of the first team period? Picked. And not by just anyone, Patrick Queen, the Ravens defector, the linebacker who now owns Pittsburgh’s middle, jumped Rodgers’ pass and snatched the moment.
Ray Fittipaldo broke the news right from camp, “On the first snap of the first team period, Aaron Rodgers is picked by Patrick Queen.” That’s not exactly how legends are supposed to begin their Pittsburgh chapters. That’s the kind of thing that sets a tone, and not the one anyone wanted.
Rodgers didn’t just throw a pick; he threw a flicker of doubt into the air. One drive, one interception, a penalty, and a near-miss later, the myth met the moment and blinked. The 41-year-old came in cool, draped in Super Bowl rings and ayahuasca anecdotes, but this city doesn’t worship history. Pittsburgh loves performance. Rodgers may have won MVPs in Green Bay, but the first thing fans saw in black and gold was a shaky start and a red-zone failure.
Meanwhile, over on the side field? Mason Rudolph did what he’s been doing for half a decade, quietly outperforming the noise. While Rodgers struggled, Rudolph ran a clean 4-for-4 sequence with the second-team offense. No drama. No headlines. Just execution. But inside that locker room, players and coaches remember days like this, who looked crisp, who didn’t flinch, who started camp ready.
Steel City has a long memory. This team’s had enough false hope behind center. One wobbly practice doesn’t define a career, but it can start a narrative. And Mike Tomlin would like to nip it in the bud.
The post Mike Tomlin Takes Massive Roster Decision After Aaron Rodgers Failed First Steelers Test appeared first on EssentiallySports.