Steelers 2026 Preview: Can Pittsburgh Take Next Step In McCarthy Era?

Steelers 2026 Preview: Can Pittsburgh Take Next Step In McCarthy Era? originally appeared on SportsNet Pittsburgh.
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The following is an excerpt of the Steelers’ season outlook, written by Ed Williams, in Sporting News’ Pro Football 2026 Preview. The magazine, which has previews of every team in addition to a look at all the major 2026 storylines, can be ordered here.

Despite making the playoffs for the 13th time in 19 seasons, Mike Tomlin decided to step down after the Steelers were eliminated from the postseason by the Houston Texans. Tomlin was the seventh-longest tenured head coach in NFL history, but despite a proven track record of getting to the postseason, the Steelers’ last playoff victory came in 2017.

Tomlin’s job status had become a hot topic in recent years, and now it’s time for a new era of Steelers football as former Packers and Cowboys coach Mike McCarthy takes over.

While there has been a good amount of arrivals and departures among the Steelers’ bench players, most of the starters return with a couple of potential upgrades. Pittsburgh swung a trade with the Colts to bring in WR Michael Pittman Jr. and signed him to a three-year extension. The added depth at WR should help open things up in the passing game, giving secondaries more than just DK Metcalf to worry about.

The Steelers still have plenty of firepower on defense, behind T.J. Watt, Cameron Heyward, Payton Wilson and Jalen Ramsey, and they also added Jamel Dean at cornerback in free agency.

Barry Reeger-Imagn Images

Running game

Even though he was voted as the team’s MVP by Steelers players, Pittsburgh let running back Kenneth Gainwell walk in free agency as he signed a two-year deal with Tampa Bay. While Gainwell had a nice season, especially catching passes out of the backfield, the Steelers should still have a solid running game.

Jaylen Warren is coming off a career season in which he just missed eclipsing the 1,000-yard mark with 958 yards rushing and six touchdowns. While Gainwell led the team in catches out of the backfield with 73, Warren had 40 of his own, tacking on two more scores. Rather than lean on Warren to take on a larger load in 2025, though, the Steelers signed Rico Dowdle via free agency to a two-year deal.

Dowdle is coming off his second straight 1,000-plus yards season, last year with the Panthers and with the Cowboys in 2024. He added 39 catches for another 297 yards and a touchdown, while he also hit paydirt six times running the rock.

While the previous Steelers regime loved to employ a ground and pound rushing attack whenever possible, McCarthy historically runs a more West Coast–style of scheme with more balance between the running and passing games. While it’s not likely that Pittsburgh morphs into a pass-heavy offense overnight, it’s fair to expect more of a hybrid of the two styles. McCarthy is also very familiar with Dowdle from his time with the Cowboys, so he should instantly be a good fit for what the new head coach has in mind.

Behind the 1-2 punch at the top of the depth chart, the Steelers also brought in Travis Homer and still have Kaleb Johnson, who’s coming off a disappointing rookie campaign. Many had high hopes for Johnson last season, but he could never get out of the doghouse with poor pass-blocking and special teams play. With a new regime, perhaps he’ll be able to come in with a fresh start and start living up to his original expectations.

For many years, one of the knocks on the Steelers in terms of team-building was a lack of resources being funneled towards the offensive line. But Pittsburgh has been turning things around lately in that regard, and the Steelers ranked third in Pro Football Network’s OL Impact score behind just the Rams and Bears. They also finished the year as PFF’s eighth-ranked unit overall.

Center Zach Frazier, guard Mason McCormick and tackle Troy Fautanu played every game together last season in just their second years in the league. Keeping that continuity, there’s room for the young core to keep improving.

Barry Reeger-Imagn Images

Passing game

Aaron Rodgers is back for one last season, which reunites him with McCarthy after their era ended in 2018. The two did manage to climb the NFL summit together, ironically defeating the Steelers in Super Bowl 45 in 2011. Rodgers lit up Pittsburgh for 304 yards and three touchdowns on his way to earning Super Bowl MVP honors.

Rodgers followed that up with a 15-1 regular season record the following season and also won his first of four NFL MVP awards. They were 125-77-2 together, and while the relationship soured over their last few years, they both credit each other for helping build their legacies.

Rodgers will turn 43 in December, but the veteran is coming off a solid, if unspectacular, season with the Steelers. Rodgers threw for 3,322 yards with a 65.7 completion percentage, and he connected on 24 touchdowns while tossing seven interceptions.

While Rodgers did have Metcalf as his primary target in 2025, the Steelers lacked other standout weapons in the passing game, which helped pave the way for big receiving years from the running backs. But Pittsburgh made a bit of a splash, trading for the Colts’ Pittman to complement the imposing Metcalf.

Metcalf managed to put up 850 yards and six touchdowns last season, but with Pittman giving defenses another wrinkle to game plan for, he could see more open looks in 2026. His 850 yards last year was his lowest total of his career, and at just 28 years old, there’s reason to think there’s room for him to get back to his peak numbers in McCarthy’s system.

While Pittman had his best season in 2023, he had a solid campaign with the Colts last year, corralling 80 balls for 784 yards and seven touchdowns. Roman Wilson and Ben Skowronek are likely the next men up on the depth chart, but the team also drafted Germie Bernard. Tight end Jonnu Smith was released, but the Steelers had a ton of depth at the position. Darnell Washington and Pat Freiermuth still remain, continuing to give Pittsburgh a solid 1-2 punch at the position.

The passing game is where the offensive line excelled the most in 2025. The Steelers ranked second in the NFL with an 88.8 percent pass blocking efficiency rating, per PFF, allowing 117 pressures over almost 600 snaps. Guard Isaac Seumalo left in free agency, but the rest of the unit remains together, which is good news for Rodgers.

There are plenty of things to be excited about heading into this season as opposed to the grinding offenses of the Tomlin era, but there are still a couple of weaknesses to worry about. Rodgers’ age and health will always be a concern until he decides to call it a career. And as mentioned before, Rodgers and McCarthy didn’t end their Packers tenure together on the best terms, so will they be able to recapture their Super Bowl magic?

The offense lacks some field-stretching speed, but the switch to McCarthy’s scheme leaves room for optimism that Pittsburgh can turn things around.

Bottom line

While McCarthy has seen a good amount of success in getting his teams to the playoffs, reaching the postseason 12 times in 18 seasons, he hasn’t had a playoff victory since 2023. And he hasn’t been to a conference championship game since 2017.

If McCarthy’s scheme and the addition of Pittman can open up the passing offense, and the secondary can play more consistently, then the Steelers can stay in the AFC North hunt all season, but it’s a crowded division. The Ravens and Bengals should be right there with them in a three-team race.

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