Steelers climb in ESPN NFL power rankings

If the playoffs started this week, the Pittsburgh Steelers would be among the Wild Card teams in the AFC. The team is currently 5-2 and riding a three-game win streak headed into a huge AFC North match this weekend with the North-leading Cleveland Browns .

Heading into Week 8, ESPN has updated its NFL power rankings and the Steelers got a bump from No. 17 to No. 14 after a 16-10 win over the New Orleans Saints in Paris.

ESPN NFL reporter Jeremy Fowler also noted that he believes the team's biggest offseason addition was cornerback Asante Samuel Jr. Here's what he had to say about it.

Both of the Steelers' starting cornerbacks, Samuel and Jamel Dean, have made big plays this season. But Samuel has turned a modest one-year, $4 million deal into a solidified role. Part of the reason Pittsburgh was comfortable trading cornerback Joey Porter Jr. to Dallas was because of Samuel, who has parlayed a stellar offseason into seven pass deflections through seven games. He has successfully rebuilt his career after undergoing spinal fusion surgery in April 2025.

Not sure I'd call re-signing Samuel as an addition but we cannot deny the impact he is having after the Joey Porter Jr. trade. We would also be remiss if we didn't acknowledge that the biggest addition of the offseason for the Steelers is probably new head coach Mike McCarthy.

The Cleveland Browns are up to No. 16 from No. 19 and the Steelers square off with the Browns this weekend in Pittsburgh.