Category Archives: Steelers 2026 Training Camp and Preseason

Grounded: Steelers Shut Out by Jets 17-0 in Preseason

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The New York Jets came to Acrisure Stadium and blanked the Pittsburgh Steelers, winning 17-0 in the second preseason game of the 2026 season.

  • My what a difference 8 days can make.

After Pittsburgh pulverized the Packers in preseason last week, the talking heads on social media would have had you believe that Mike McCarthy had already not only cured, but expunged every emblematic Tomlin-era error.

  • Against the Jets, it felt like McCarthy was metastasizing those maladies in real time.

And that’s why it is wise to take both the highs and lows of preseason in stride.

The loss to the Jets was as ugly as the score suggests but, given that it is the second preseason game, there are a few legit negatives and positives we can begin to project forward towards the regular season.

Let’s see what those are.

Chase Wilson with one of several sacks of Drew Allar in the 2026 Steelers Jets preseason win at Acrisure.

Chase Wilson sacks Drew Allar. Photo Credit: Chaz Palla, Tribune-Review

1. Worry on the Offensive Line, Encouragement for the Steelers Defensive Line

The two biggest indicators that Steelers fans needed to look for in preseason were the quality of offensive line play and the strength of the spine of the defense.

Two preseason games have seen the coaches test various offensive line configurations and each combination leaves us something to worry about.

Last season several members of the Steel City Insider message board agreed that Broderick Jones had been improving prior to suffering a neck injury in Chicago. I had the same feeling, and it felt good to get confirmation from a few gents who are far more knowledgeable about X’s and O’s than I.

But we’ve seen Broderick Jones give up sacks playing on the left side last week, and against the Jets he gave up two playing on the right.

  • And it isn’t just a question of Jones.

Preseason is often, (although not always), a good gauge of the play of individual units. And the Steelers pass protection has not been good, no matter who has been out there.

The Steelers have given up 7 sacks and 9 QB hits. And all three Steelers quarterbacks have evaded other would be sacks.

Aaron Rodgers safety, Khalil Mack, Aaron Rodgers, Steelers vs Chargers, Steelers vs Chargers SNF,

Khalil Mack sacks Aaron Rodgers for a safety. Photo Credit: IMAGN Images, via Tribune-Review

This is a problem. A big part of the premise behind bringing Aaron Rodgers back was that, behind a more mature offensive line, he could do some damage with an upgraded receiver corps.

  • Nothing we’ve seen means this still can’t happen, but we’ve seen scant evidence that it is.

On the flip side, the spine of the Steelers defense had a strong night.

Both Yahya Black and Gabriel Rubio made stout plays against the run. As did Patrick Queen and rookie Robert Spears-Jennings. Payton Wilson also logged a solid night. A little more on this group later.

2. Anyone Still Want to Run Rudolph Out of Town?

The play of both Will Howard and Drew Allar against the Packers had more than a few in Steelers Nation ready to send Mason Rudolph packing.

  • Such talk was always going to be nonsense regardless of how the quarterbacks performed against the New York.

But the performance of the quarterbacks against the Jets has-re-grounded talk about the young quarterbacks in reality.

To his credit, Will Howard looked poised in the pocket and at the line of scrimmage. He looked comfortable making decisions and threw the ball with confidence – and that includes the two interceptions he threw.

Many agree that his second interception was the fault of the receiver, but regardless, Will Howard looked to be every bit of the 6th round draft pick playing in his second NFL game.

Drew Allar is a little harder to evaluate, because he delivered several passes that were on target that his receivers could have and should have caught.

With that said, the play of both quarterbacks against the Jets sustained the prevailing narrative, that Howard has the intangibles but lacks some of the athletic skill, while Allar has the athletic pedigree but lacks the intangibles.

  • That doesn’t mean either man’s future with the Steelers or in the NFL is doomed.

Mike McCarthy explained that both men left multiple teachable moments on tape. The key is for both to take advantage of the learning opportunities in front of them.

3. Stat Sheet Deceives? A Word About Running Backs and the Running Game

The stat sheet delivered a surprise this morning on the running backs. None of them have averages which raise an eyebrow. Fair enough. Numbers don’t lie, but sometimes they can mislead.

Jaylen Warren logged several authoritative carries.

Watching Dowdle brought back memories of his last performance at Acrisure, where he did enough to help Dallas move the chains.

Kaleb Johnson heads for the open field in the Steelers August 2026 preseason loss to the New York Jets at Acrisure Stadium.

Kaleb Johnson almost breaks one. Photo Credit: Chaz Palla, Tribune-Review

Kaleb Johnson’s performance was also interesting. He led the team in rushing, and almost broke a long one. But Johnson showed the kind of scrappiness between the tackles that you like to see in a Pittsburgh Steelers running back.

4. Wonder and Worry on Wetjen

OK. Maybe “Wonder” is a bit to strong of a headline here, but hey I need to keep your attention. Seriously. During training camp we heard about Kaden Wetjen’s burning speed and ability to make seamless cuts as a returner.

  • We didn’t see any of that against the Packers, at least as a returner.

But against the Jets we saw some signs of it, and it was encouraging.

Kaden Wetjen fumbles during the Steelers 2026 preseason loss to the Jets at Acrisure.

Kaden Wetjen coughs up that ball. Photo Credit: Chaz Palla, Tribune-Review

What isn’t encouraging was his ball security – he lost a fumble and bobbled another return. And watching him get tackled made me wonder whether someone of his size can withstand the pounding.

5. Of Carson Bruener and Bloodlines

When it came to picking players, Mike Tomlin loved his bloodlines.

The struggles of Terrell Edmunds and Devin Bush Jr. made it easy to wonder whether Tomlin wasn’t letting sentimentality get the better of him. (Funny, neither Cam Heyward or T.J. Watt ever prompted suggestions of sentimentality.)

Bloodlines were a factor in Tomlin’s final draft pick Carson Bruener. Carson Bruener is of course the son of Steelers scout and former tight end Mark Bruener, who made the team last year on special teams.

  • And this preseason he’s showing he belongs on the defense.

On consecutive plays Bruener deflected a pass and then sacked the quarterback. And overall this kid just looks like he belongs every time he sees the field.

6. Two More Who Belong: Skowronek and Roberts

Two more players who are showing that they belong are Ben Skowronek and Elandon Roberts. Skowronek had 3-catches against the Jets, adding to the two he had against the Packers.

Skowronek may never prove he’s the Yancey Thigpen in hiding as this site suggested in the spring of 2025, but he’s a special teams ace and shows that he can catch the ball when it is thrown to him.

The Steelers re-signed the “Tooth Chipper” Elandon Roberts earlier this week and he led the defense with five tackles, renewing the question: Why did Omar Khan and Tomlin let him walk last spring?

No matter. That’s an academic question now. But it certainly is good to welcome Elandon Roberts back as part of the Pittsburgh Steelers.

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Steelers Re-Sign Keeanu Benton, Elandon Roberts Returns to Bolster Run Defense

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Omar Khan is breaking out his checkbook again, and this time he’s taking on a bit more risk as the Steelers have re-signed Keeanu Benton to a 4-year 72 million dollar contract.

The contract will pay him an annual average of 18 million, making him the highest paid defensive lineman in Steelers history – in non-adjusted dollars — IF, you judge it as a four-year deal instead considering the 5th year on Benton’s rookie contract.

Keeanu Benton, Steelers vs Buccaneers 2025 preseason

Keeanu Benton blocks a pass. Photo Credit: Chaz Palla, Tribune-Review

The Steelers drafted Benton in the 2nd round of the 2023 NFL Draft, and Benton now becomes the third member of this draft class to earn a second contract. Earlier this spring the Steelers worked out extensions with Nick Herbig and Darnell Washington.

At the time of Herbig and Washington’s extension, word was that the Steelers also were targeting Benton for a new deal, but the agreement did not materialize until now.

Benton has started 40 of his 51 career games and logged seven and a half sacks—for comparison’s sake, Casey Hampton had 9 in his entire career. So Benton has shown he can rush the passer as a nose tackle.

  • If that’s the case, then where’s the risk you ask?

If Benton’s pass rushing prowess is well-documented, his ability to act as a run stuffer—the traditional role of the nose tackle in the Steelers defense—remains a question mark at best.

There were times during the 2025 season when Benton failed the eye test miserably, when opposing offensive lineman tossed him aide like a rag doll. The losses to the Bengals and Bills offer poignant examples. In other games, such as the win over the Colts, he held up better, but consistency continues to elude him.

Look back to the last three playoff losses the Steelers have suffered, and there’s one constant, a sieve-like run defense:

Now, can we hang all of that on Keeanu Benton? Absolutely not. The front office and coaching staff clearly doesn’t. But there’s no way the Steelers can break their playoff losing streak and continue to give up that kind of yardage on the ground. And quality nose tackle play is a must if the cycle is to be broken.

  • And in that light, giving Benton such an aggressive extension does carry some risk.

However, with a new coaching staff, perhaps Benton can learn to defend the run more consistently. And beyond that, signs indicate that his role on the Steelers defensive line could is changing.

Keeanu Benton and Derrick Harmon during the Steelers 2025 win over the Patriots.

Derrick Harmon and Keeanu Benton. Photo Credit: Steelers.com

When the Steelers drafted Derrick Harmon and Yahya Black during the 2025 NFL Draft, Mike Tomlin’s defensive staff insisted that they saw Benton as a nose tackle.

  • True to their word, Benton remained at nose tackle throughout the season.

And while Benton started at nose tackle against the Packers and has worked there during the summer at St. Vincents, the official depth chart lists him as a defensive tackle, and both Black and rookie Gabriel Rubio have gotten time at nose.

On the Steel City Insider podcast, veteran journalist Jim Wexell confirmed that the Steelers long-term plans are to move Benton to defensive end when Cam Heyward begins his “Life’s Work.”

Speaking of Run Defense – Elandon Roberts, The Tooth Chipper Returns

Regardless of whether Benton can find a way to better clog the middle of the field, the Steelers gave their run defense a shot in the arm when they re-signed Elandon Roberts.

Elandon Roberts, Terry McBride, Steelers vs Cardinals

No helmet, no problem, as Elandon Roberts tackles Terry McBride. Photo Credit: Matt Freed, AP via Newsday

Roberts, who had played for the Steelers in 2023 and 2024 and earned himself the moniker of “the tooth chipper,” for his hard hitting play against the run. Surprisingly, Roberts left as a free agent signing with the Oaka… er um, Los Ang… Las Vegas Raiders where he played with current Steelers defensive coordinator Patrick Graham.

Patrick Queen and Payton Wilson appear to be set as starters at inside linebacker, but with Cole Holcomb, Malik Harrison and Carson Bruener the Steelers have a glut at the position.

Harrison would appear to be the odd man out, as Bruener has been a special teams standout and retains plenty of the proverbial “Upside.”

 

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5 (Not So) Random Takes from the Steelers 28-9 Preseason Win Over the Packers

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Mike McCarthy’s Pittsburgh Steelers beat the Green Bay Packers 28-9 to open their 2026 preseason campaign on a hot and steamy night at Acrisure Stadium.

The win gave fans their long-awaited look at quarterbacks Will Howard and Drew Allar as well as wide receivers Germie Bernard and Kaden Wetjen along with cornerback Daylen Everette.

  • After watching a game chocked full of ESPN-worthy highlights, what are hard takeaways?

How about Mike McCarthy now has one more thing in common with Mike Tomlin than he does with Bill Cowher or Chuck Noll because McCarthy, like Tomlin, won his preseason debut whereas Cowher and Noll lost theirs….

Now that you’re prepared for a “Steelers Preseason” Final Jeopardy, let’s acknowledge that injuries are about the only hard truths that come out of the first preseason game of the summer. And fortunately the Steelers appeared to emerge relatively clean on that front.

But it was an exciting win, and it did leave commentators with a lot to comment on. So let’s comment.

Mason Rudolph evades Warren Brinson in the Steelers 2026 preseason opener vs the Packers.

Who doesn’t like a quarterback who knocks the helmet off of a defender? Photo Credit: Chaz Palla, Tribune Review.

1. Front and Center Focus Gives Us a Mixed Bag

The most important thing for the Steelers to get right this summer is to solidify their offensive line and strengthen their defensive spine.

  • The Packers game gave them their first test and results were mixed.

Pass protection was erratic. Mason Rudolph was only in for a handful of series and he was still sacked twice. Both Dylan Cook and Troy Fautanu got beat in critical snaps. The Steelers also averaged 2.6 yards on the ground, so the offensive line wasn’t exactly road-grading either.

Still, with that understood, the offensive line did give Rudolph enough protection to complete 10 of 11 passes and march the team to the one yard line.

On the flip side, the Steelers defense had a strong night overall, keeping the Packers out of the end zone for the entire game. Although Keeanu Benton got the start at nose tackle, both Yahya Black and Gabriel Rubio saw extended time and both men looked good, with Rubio logging six tackles.

2. Rudolph, Howard, Allar and the Quarterback Derby

Both Will Howard and Drew Allar made their NFL debuts and both men played very well.

Howard impressively ran the two-minute drill to set up Lew Nichols touchdown just before the end of the first half. Allar relieved him at the end of the third quarter, throwing two touchdown passes while running one in on his own.

Allar went 10 of 13 for 2 TDs and 163 yards with no sacks, while Howard went 10 of 11 for 93 yards and one sack. That’s about as good as anyone could have hoped for or expected.

But if you were to judge their performance by reactions on social media, you’d think the Steelers suddenly had a Joe Montana-Steve Young situation on their hands. OK, perhaps that exaggerates things slightly, but it is amazing to see the number of people who are ready to cut Mason Rudolph after watching Howard and Allar.

Yes, both Howard and Allar looked good, but they did most of their work playing against guys who, in a month’s time, will count themselves lucky if they land a tryout with the Brooklyn Pharaohs.

In contrast, the vast majority of the men Mason Rudolph played against will make the Packers’ opening day roster, and many will start. What really stuck out about Rudolph was his poise.

He didn’t have great pass protection, and Travis Homer wasn’t exactly “pounding the rock.” Yet he remained in command of the offense at all times to the point where his best pass of the night was officially an incomplete one:

Yes, we can and should be pleased to see Howard and Allar get off to good starts. But if Aaron Rodgers should become unavailable, this is the kind of quarterback I want taking his place.

3. Reclamation ROI in Real Time?

The Steelers defense put up a lot of stats, and several players made eye-catching plays. But the one man who really stood out was cornerback Asante Samuel Jr..

When Joey Porter Jr.’s hold-in began, someone on social media speculated that he might be in the process of Wally Pipping himself. That’s a bit extreme. But Asante Samuel Jr. played extremely well, and at this point looks to be a real asset in the secondary.

Rookie safety and 7th round draft pick Robert Spears-Jennings also looked good.

4. Wetjen Strikes Just When You Least Expect It

The only real eyebrow raising choice in the Steelers 2026 draft class was using a fourth-rounder on Kaden Wetjen. The Steelers drafted him as a kick returner, as he had a total of 13 catches in his college career.

And throughout training camp wise scribes such as Jim Wexell and Roy Countryman have been telling us that Wetjen’s been looking extremely sharp as a return man, but didn’t figure to be a factor in the passing game.

Against the Packers, Wetjen got to return 3 kicks and 2 punts and, while he didn’t do anything to look bad, he also did nothing special. No sooner did that thought occur to me than Drew Allar found him on this slant route:

  • Quite impressive, even if a stumble cost him a touchdown.

Yet, Allar found him later in the end zone, and the evening ended with Wetjen leading the Steelers in receiving yards and catching a touchdown.

Kaden Wetjet catches a touchdown from Drew Allar during the Steelers 2026 preseason win over the Packers

Kaden Wetjet catches a Drew Allar touchdown. Photo Credit: Chaz Palla, Pittsburgh Tribune-Review

The odds favor Wetjet’s 79-yard streaking reception to be more of a Matthew Thomas type play (name ring a bell but can’t quite place this one? Then click here) than Franco Harris taking it to the house in his preseason debut, but he did show us that we shouldn’t sleep on him being a part of the wide receiving room.

5. A Word About the Offense

The Steelers offense scored four touchdowns, had 17 first downs, converted 7 of 13 third downs and had a slight edge in time of possession. The numbers alone, of course, in a preseason game tell us next to nothing.

  • But the unit passed “the eye test.”

In the heyday of Kenny Pickett’s preseason glory days the Steelers offense put together some nice drives, but they had a video game feel too them dissipated immediately once the games counted for real.

In the booth during the game Art Rooney II described Mike McCarthy as “meticulous” and this is how his offense felt. Even when you control for the quality of competition, the Steelers offense played like a unit that knew what it wanted to do, and was going out and doing it. And the maintained that same “look and feel” with three separate quarterbacks.

Finally, seeing rookie fullback Riley Nowakowski lining up in a Power-I Formation early in the game? That was a true cherry on top.

Yes, ladies and gentlemen, it is only preseason. Let’s keep it real. But it’s far better to look good than to look bad.

 

 

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Mike McCarthy’s “No Tackling” in Steelers Training Camp? What Does and Doesn’t Mean

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Like most Steelers fans, Mike McCarthy disappointed me when he announced there would be no live tackling during Steelers training camp this summer at St. Vincents.

The reaction is understandable. Toughness forms an innate part of the Steelers self-identity. There’s a reason why, at one time at least, the toll-free number for phone ordering Steelers merchandise was 1-800-TUF-TEAM.

Lew Nichols stiff arms an unnamed defender at Steelers training camp at St. Vincents College.

Lew Nichols gets away with a stiff arm. Would it have been as easy had there been tackling? Photo Credit: Jordan Perez, Steelers.com

But Mike McCarthy’s announcement triggered memories of two other “Mikes” from Steelers history, one many have forgotten and another everyone remembers. And those memories have helped bring into focus what physicality in practice means to that identity of toughness.

The Mike everyone forgets is Mike Merriweather, whom Tony Defeo rightly identified as “Pittsburgh’s forgotten outside linebacker.”

I can vividly remember as a 15-year-old sitting at my grandmother’s kitchen table in 1988, reading in the Pittsburgh Press or Post Gazette, about Merriweather’s holdout for either a new contract or a trade.

But Merriweather explained he wanted to stay with the Steelers because, in part, he’d observed the San Francisco 49ers practices and “they barely hit” or words to that effect.

Mike Merriweather, Edmund Nelson, John Elway, Steelers vs Broncos 1984, Mike Merriweather Steelers career

Mike Merriweather and Edmund Nelson close in on John Elway. Photo Credit: Pin Interest

In the summer of ’88, the Steelers still owned a 4-2 advantage over the 49ers in the Lombardi count. To this 15-year old, Merriweather’s comment offered existential proof not only of why the Steelers should but also why they would maintain that advantage.

The other Mike that everyone remembers is of course Mike Tomlin who launched live, full-contact tackling at Steelers training camp on July 31st 2013.

This was big news. Mark Kaboly of the Tribune Review claimed it was the first time full contact had been allowed in 10 years. Chris Bradford of the Beaver Times reported it was a first since The Emperor Chuck Noll’s reign.

In July of 2013 the Steelers were coming off an 8-8 finish in 2012 punctuated by a December meltdown. Tomlin insisted that adopting live-tackling policy was unrelated to 2012, just as Bruce Stringsteen assures us that the implosion of his first marriage had zero influence on his songwriting or Tunnel of Love….

  • Steelers Nation rejoiced.

If any fans had problems with Tomlin’s no live tackling, no go cart training camp, they sure did keep quiet about it on social media. And since then, Steelers fans have taken pride whenever a newly arrived free agent, such as Patrick Queen, remarked at how much more physical practices are in Pittsburgh.

Again, if you’re reading this, you probably feel the same way.

  • But we also must ask: Did Tomlin’s full contact approach work?

Let’s go back to 2013 opener against the Tennessee Titans. When the afternoon began, the Steelers RB No. 1 was injured, their two top tight ends were out and 3 players on injured reserve. By the time the afternoon was over the Steelers would:

Now let’s remember: correlation does not equal causality.

Football is brutal. Mike Tomlin could have banned all contact in training camp and David DeCastro still would have ended Pouncey’s season by falling on and breaking his leg.

But injury is the back story behind most of the chapters of the Steelers disappointing post-Super Bowl XLV playoff story.

There’s no need to re-live the memories of watching practice squad running backs and wide receivers start playoff games. Nor must we repeat visions of losing stars like Cam Heyward, Bud Dupree or T.J. Watt just as the last leaves fall off the trees, turkey leftovers get finished or the Christmas decorations get put away.

  • Did live tackling in training camp contribute to those injuries?

There’s no way to be sure. But only a select few argue more contact makes them less likely.*

That doesn’t mean that physicality can’t foster a willing culture – Bill Cowher famously used a late-season padded practice to break a 3-game losing streak and spark the 2005 Steelers on a run that ended in victory at Super Bowl XL.

Sure, the old school Steelers fan in me thinks there “should” be live tackling at St. Vincent’s this summer. But if the Steelers can still maintain their physical edge while staying even just a little healthier for December and January football then Mike McCarthy will have delivered a competitive edge.

Oh, and if my adult self could go back and have a “Just Sayin” moment with the 15-year-0ld me: Despite those hard hitting practices the 1988 Steelers finished 5-11. As for the 1988 San Francisco 49ers? They won the Super Bowl.

*In his autobiography In the Locker Room, Tunch Ilkin makes this exact argument. I’m not sure I agree, but Tunch was a lot closer to the game than I am and I respect his opinion enough to share it here.

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How Ed Thompson’s Photo of D.K. Metcalf Captures Magic & Mystery of Steelers Training Camp

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Steelers training camp creates a magic and mystery that SteelersNow photographer Ed Thompson captured magnificently with his photo of D.K. Metcalf and Daylen Everette.

If you haven’t seen it yet, take a look:

Steelers wide out D.K. Metcalf and rookie cornerback Daylen Everett duel it out at St. Vincents in the summer of 2026.

D.K. Metcalf and Daylen Everett vie for an Aaron Rodgers pass at St. Vincents. Photo Credit: Ed Thompson, via SteelersNow

“A picture is worth a thousand words,” ladies and gentleman, see above for exhibit A.

  • Judged on strictly aesthetic terms, Thompson’s photo stands as an outstanding work of art.

Photography should never be “Pritchard Scaled” (Google “Dead Poets Society Pritchard Scale scene” kids), but Thompson simultaneously delivers the grace and exhilaration of two football players striving for end zone excellence and done it with perfect proportions.

Dig a step deeper, and you see the subjects of Thompson’s uniting to symbolize something far greater than themselves.

When the networks first broached the NFL about broadcasting the draft, league executives initially balked asking – “Who would want to watch a bunch of names being called out at a podium?”

Today the NFL draft ranks only behind the Super Bowl and, perhaps, the conference championships in terms of viewership. And everyone understands why: the NFL isn’t selling names from a podium at the draft, it is selling hope.

  • Training camp is the time when that abstract hope begins to transform itself into palpable possibility.

And the ariel duel between D.K. Metcalf and Daylen Everette vying for an Aaron Rodger’s pass unveils this process in real time.

  • Metcalf had his ups and his downs in 2025.

Thompson’s photo shows us how Metcalf just might change things for the better in 2026.

St. Vincents provides Steelers Nation with its hallowed ground. Today we call it Chuck Noll Field because Noll built the foundation of four Super Bowl champions on that grass. Two other summers have seen Bill Cowher and Mike Tomlin follow in his footsteps.

And Ed Thompson’s photo of Metcalf and Everette gives us our first visual suggestion that Mike McCarthy might to the same – that’s the magic of training camp.

Sometimes these flashes from St. Vincents translate sustain themselves into something bigger and more substantial  in the regular season and beyond….

…And sometimes they don’t. That’s the mystery training camp.

And thanks to Ed Thompson, we see it all in a single shot.

Editor’s note: You can see three more shots of Thompson’s entire sequence here on X. You can follow Ed Thompson’s work here on X and here on SteelersNow.

 

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