Tag Archives: Nick Herbig

Steelers Report Card for Loss to Patriots — Self Sabotage at Gillette Edition

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Taken from the gradebook of a teacher sad to see his students self-sabotage, here is the Pittsburgh Steelers Report Card for the 2026 loss to the Patriots at Gillette Stadium.

T.J. Watt closes in to sack Derek Maye in the Steelers 2026 loss to the Patriots.

T.J. Watt seconds before sacking Derek Maye. Photo Credit: Karl Roser, Steelers.com

Quarterback
Aaron Rodgers went 23-39 for zero touchdowns and 1 interception. The interception wasn’t his fault; he got zero help from his receivers and he got even less from his offensive line, but even controlling for that, too many of his passes were off target. Grade: DSteelers, Report Card, grades,

Running Backs
Jaylen Warren had 11 carries for 43 yards and 2 catches for 35 yards. Rico Dowdle had 7 carries for 22 yards and 2 catches for 22 yards. Travis Homer had 2 carries for 16 yards. Decent numbers, but the running backs could not establish any semblance of a rhythm. Grade: C-

Tight Ends
Pat Freiermuth had 4 catches for 32 yards on 5 targets and 1 carry in the tush push. Darnell Washington had one catch for 7 yards. Hard to say the tight ends were part of the problem, but easy to observe that they failed to step up as part of the solution. Grade: D

Wide Receivers
Rookie Germie Bernard looked to be the one bright spot here, until he let a pass bounce out of his hands to kill a scoring drive when a sliver of a comeback chance remained. D.K. Metcalf had 4 catches for all of 27 yards – and that includes a 16-yard quasi garbage-time catch. Roman Wilson caught 5 checkdown passes for 28 yards. Ben Skowronek had one catch for 2 yards.

So watch out for those Steelers wideouts on those sub-five yard passes. They’ll get you every time…

…Ah, once again, Generation X Steelers fans are left longing for the days of Charles Lockett, Derek Hill, Dwight Stone  and heck, why not Weegie Thompson? Grade: F

Offensive Line
Where to start? The unit let its quarterback get hit 7 times, sacked 4 times, 2 of which were strip sacks. There were a couple of flashes of respectability in the run blocking, but nothing of any sort of consequence and certainly not early enough in the game when the Steelers needed it the most. Grade: F

Defensive Line
Cam Heyward had another tipped pass and 3 tackles. Derrick Harmon led the team in tackles with 9 and had half of a sack. If you exclude two long runs by Patriots running backs, the Steelers contained the run well enough to win. Grade: B-

Linebackers
T.J. Watt had a sack and a half. Patrick Queen hauled in an interception. Payton Wilson had a tackle for a loss. Alex Highsmith had a sack and three tackles for losses. All good. But Highsmith had an off sides penalty that gave the Patriots new life, and two plays later TreVeyon Henderson cut through the heart of the Steelers defense like a knife – untouched by any linebacker. Grade: B-

Secondary
No Patriots receiver caught more than 3 passes and only one sniffed 100 yards. Romeo Doubs did burn the Steelers for a 63-yard gain, but the defense held after that. Grade: B-

Special Teams
Chris Boswell was 1-1 on field goals, missing a 57 yarder but making a 56 yarder with room to spare. Cameron Johnston boomed off 8 punts for a 48.1 yard average and pinned the Patriots inside the 20 on three separate occasions, arguably making him the MVP of the Steelers offense. Kaden Wetjen and Eli Heidenreich had solid days as returners, but the same can be said of New England’s returners. Grade: C

Coaching
Let’s start with the positive. Patrick Graham’s defense turned out a “above the line” performance. Yes, his unit suffered two critical lapses but, to the naked eye, both issues appear to be correctable.

And everything we’ve seen and heard about Graham indicates he can and will make those corrections….

…If it were only so easy to say the same thing about the offense.

To his credit, Mike McCarthy manned up and took responsibility after the game. He went as far as to intimate that he’d seen warning signs in practice (something Mike Tomlin never would have done.)

  • Fair enough. The first step towards solving a problem is to acknowledge it.

The bigger question is now that he’s embraced the elephant in the room, what can he, Brian Angelichio and, perhaps most importantly, offensive line coach James Campen do about it? While no phase of the Steelers offense played winning football against the Patriots, the offensive line was worst of all.

Fixing that won’t magically make D.K. Metcalf win combat catches or propel Roman Wilson to do more than catch check downs, but without better play from the line none of that will matter.

  • Right now, that seems like an impossible task for James Campen.

But let’s remember that after the Steelers dropped a 26-6 decision to the Ravens in week 2 of the 2014 season, no one was calling Mike Munchak an offensive line genius. By the end of the season they were.

So there is hope even if it doesn’t feel like it today. But its up to McCarthy, Angelichio and Campen to translate that hope into reality – and they need to do it fast. Grade: F

Nick Herbig closes in during the Steelers 2026 loss to the Patriots.

Nick Herbig closes in. Photo Credit: Eric Canha-Imagn Images via the Lexington Herald-Ledger

Unsung Hero Award
He ended the Patriots’ first drive with a forced fumble, he had 3 tackles for losses including one on third down that wrecked another drive, forcing a punt when the Pittsburgh still had a shot at a comeback. For that Nick Herbig wins the Unsung Hero Award for the Steelers 2026 loss to the Patriots at Gillette Stadium.

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Steelers Offense Implodes in 20-3 Loss to Patriots at Gillette Stadium

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Week 2 of the 2026 season saw the Pittsburgh Steelers drop a 20 to 3 decision to the New England Patriots at Gillette Stadium.

Given the dynamics of NFL scheduling and Steelers tortured history in Foxborough the loss itself should surprise no one.

  • But the Steelers complete offensive impotence should alarm everyone.

Steelers head coach Mike McCarthy manned up, acknowledged his offense’s poor play and took full responsibility. Good for him. The critical question McCarthy must answer now is this: Can we chalk Pittsburgh’s offensive ineptitude to sloppy “September football” or are the Steelers woes more systemic?

Gabe Jackas strip sacks Aaron Rodgers during the Steelers week 2 loss to the Patriots in 2026

How bad was it? This Gabe Jacas hit on Aaron Rodgers wasn’t even a sack…. Photo Credit: AP via the Tribune-Review

SOSO: Same Old Steelers Offense. And Then Some…

Art Rooney Sr. had a term during his franchise’s 40-some-odd years in the wilderness: Same Old Steelers. While the term hasn’t been forgotten, it hasn’t been used much since Chuck Noll’s arrival in 1969.

  • Yet the term certainly applies to the Steelers offense throughout this decade.

Yes, during the first third or maybe even half of the 2020 season, the Steelers fielded an NFL varsity-worthy offense. But outside of that, the 2020s have seen the Steelers win in spite of their offense and almost never because of it.

The remedy, social media commentators have readily assured us:

  • Hire an offensive-minded head coach
  • Surround him with younger, innovative assistants
  • Be more aggressive in improving talent

Art Rooney II hired McCarthy, an offensive minded coach. McCarthy’s staff is well-renowned. Omar Khan has aggressively addressed the offense in the draft, free agency and with multiple trades.

Yet, two games into the 2026 campaign, the Steelers offense not only doesn’t look better than anything Mike Tomlin fielded in 2024 or 2025; against the Patriots it looked worse:

  • The Steelers went 2-12 on third down conversions
  • Patriots defenders sacked Aaron Rodgers 4 times and hit him 7
  • Rodgers suffered not one but two strip sacks
  • Pittsburgh’s best receiver, Germie Bernard caught 4 balls but bobbled a 5th that got picked off
  • D.K. Metcalf, the supposed No. 1 WR, had 4 catches for 27 yards – including garbage time
  • The Steelers defense secured 2 turnovers; the offense squandered both

Those numbers, while bleak, really fail to paint a picture of how pitifully Pittsburgh’s offense failed in Foxborough.

The Steelers offense opened with twin three and outs followed by a missed field goal. After that they opened the third quarter with a workmanlike drive where Rodgers found the rookie Bernard several times and Pat Freiermuth executed the tush push on 4th down.

They made it all the way to the New England 25. A three yard pass to D.K. Metcalf brought up to the 22. Rodgers then tried and failed to find Darnell Washington, bringing up 3rd and 7. Here’s what followed:

Christian Elliss folded Aaron Rodgers in half, knocking the ball loose, and a 3rd & 7 with a very makeable field goal became 4th and 43. Credit Troy Fautanu for recovering the ball, but the Steelers drafted him to protect the quarterback, not recovery strip sacks.

Troy Fautanu recovers a strip sack during the Steelers 2026 week 2 loss to the New England Patriots

Troy Fautanu saves six and recovers a strip sack. Photo Credit: AP via Tribune-Review

A similar self-sabotage sequence unfolded in the 4th quarter when the Steelers, theoretically at least, still had a chance rally.

The Steelers moved the ball deftly with Jaylen Warren’s running and Aaron Rodgers hitting Metcalf and Roman Wilson on underneath routes. At the Patriots 30 , Rodgers hit Warren who zigged, zagged and powered his way 25 yards to the 4. On cue, the Steelers’ offense self-destructed:

  • Elijah Ponder sacked Aaron Rodgers on first down, knocking them 9 yards back.
  • On second Rodgers hit Bernard, who had the ball bounce off his hands and into Gabe Jacas’.

Rodgers saved the touchdown with a tackle, but again, he didn’t stay out of retirement to make tackles.

Sandwiched in between these twin debacles was Christian Barmore’s strip sack of Rodgers and Elijah Ponder’s recovery of the ball that he returned for a touchdown.

There’s no sugar coating how bad the Steelers offense was against the Patriots. Sure, Warren, Rico Dowdle and Travis Homer logged some nice runs, but the running game never broached establishing a rhythm.

The offensive line deserves every ounce of criticism coming its way, but the truth is that several of Rodgers’ passes were off target and, when they weren’t, his receivers weren’t giving him any help.

Steelers Defense Solid Despite Lapses

Only 7 of the Patriots points were supplied by their defense. Their offense scored 13 more, not including a missed field goal. The truth is, the Steelers defense played well enough to win.

Patrick Queen intercepts Derek Maye in the 3rd quarter.

Patrick Queen Intercepts Derrick Maye. Photo Credit: AP via Tribune-Review

No, they didn’t deliver a 5 turnover performance that propelled the Steelers to victory in New England this time last year. But one has to wonder if would have been sufficient with this offense. Still, Patrick Graham’s defense made its share of splash plays:

The offense, however, only netted 4 yards following that fumble, although they were not helped by Jalen Ramsey’s jawboning that cost the offense 15 yards.

There were other lapses of course. New England’s only touchdown came on a 39-yard run where TreVeyon Henderson sliced through the middle of the Steelers defense with only Asante Samuel Jr. barely getting a hand on him.

Romeo Doubs also found a gaping hole in the Steelers secondary to steal a 63 yard reception, although Patrick Graham’s defense held there, forcing a field goal.

But when a defense holds an NFL offense to 13 points is playing winning football.

Take Away for Mike McCarthy: Stop the Offense from Self-Destructing

In beating the Falcons last week, Mike McCarthy joined his three immediate predecessors by winning his first game as head coach of the Pittsburgh Steelers.

Alas, in week two he continued to follow in Bill Cowher and Mike Tomlin’s footsteps, as both men lost their first games at Gillette Stadium, and lost them badly. These parallels are useful because they sharpen the focus on McCarthy’s challenge this morning.

Bill Cowher lost his first game at Gillette, because he couldn’t stop Bill Belichick’s spread offense. Mike Tomlin lost his in his first visit to New England because Tom Brady, in route to a 19-1 season, toasted his secondary.

  • In both cases, it wasn’t a question of scheme but rather one of talent.

Neither coach could find in-season fixes the fundamental deficiencies plaguing their defenses, but both men led their Steelers squads to division titles.

  • Its Mike McCarthy’s offense that needs fixing.

Whether talent or scheme is driving its disfunction remains to be seen, but the best good take away from the loss to the Patriots for McCarthy is a simple one:  Find away to stop his offense from self-destructing whenever it reaches scoring position.

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Pittsburgh Steelers Report Card for Win Over Falcons: New Era Edition

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Taken from the grade book of a teacher excited to welcome both new students and a new era, here is the Report Card for the 2026 Steelers season-opening win over the Falcons at Acrisure Stadium.

Darnell Washington stiff arms Xavier Watts.

Darnell Washington lets Xavier Watts know who is boss. Photo Credit: Jordan Perez, Steelers.com

Quarterback
Aaron Rodgers went 24 of 40 for 221 yards and one touchdown. Rodgers looked comfortable and in command of the offense, made good decisions and suffered too many drops. Grade: BSteelers, Report Card, grades,

Running Backs
Jaylen Warren carried 10 times for 46 yards but coughed up the ball setting up Atlanta’s only touchdown. Warren also caught 5 passes for 27 yards. Rico Dowdle carried 8 times for 15 yards and caught 2 passes for 6 yards. The Steelers running backs didn’t keep any Fantasy Football owners happy but Warren did move the chains late in the game. Grade: C-

Tight Ends
Pat Freiermuth had a solid afternoon catching 5 passes for 46 yards for the team’s only touchdown. He also blocked well. Darnell Washington only caught 2 passes for 18 yards and it is tempting to give the group an “A” just for his 15 yard catch (see the lead photo.) We won’t go that far, but the tight ends were easily the strongest unit on the offense. Grade: B+

Wide Receivers
D.K. Metcalf caught 4 passes on 10 targets. He was robbed of a long gain by a non-pass interference call, but dropped a highly catchable ball that he could have taken to the house. Roman Wilson caught 3 passes on 6 targets but gave up a combat catch in the end zone. Michael Pittman Jr. had the best day of the trio, catching 3 for 58, and brings the group grade up. Grade: D

Offensive Line
This was an area of worry going into the game, but the line was OK. Aaron Rodgers only gave up two sacks and had more time to pass than he did a year ago. Dylan Cook still looks uneasy a right tackle and Spencer Anderson also had some difficult moments, but the center and the left of the line had a solid afternoon. Grade: C

Defensive Line
Is there anything that Cam Heyward can’t do? He stuffed  Bijan Robinson on a number of occasions and batted down 3 passes. The Steelers defensive line didn’t put up gaudy statistics, but they contained Robinson, which was critical to the success of the rest of the defense. Grade: B+

Linebackers
Payton Wilson led the group with 13 tackles including 2 for losses and was all over the field. Patrick Queen was next with 7. Nick Herbig was on the field for 60% of the snaps making 2 tackles and one QB hit. Alex Highsmith ended the Falcons opening and closing drives with sacks. The real star was T.J. Watt who was in Hall of Fame form with 2 tackles, 2 for losses, 1 pass batted down, 2 sacks and 1 pick six. Grade: A

Secondary
A brand new secondary started for the Steelers compared to what was on the field the last time they opened a season vs the Falcons in 2024. And the new unit played well. Neither Jamel Dean’s nor Asante Samuel Jr.’s name was heard much and for both cornerbacks that was a good thing. Jalen Ramsey was likely out of position on one of Robinson’s long gains, but he did step up with a critical pass defense. And Pittsburgh native Jaquan Brisker hauled in an interception that set up the first TD. Grade: A-

Special Teams
Jim Wexell quoted the legendary Bill Nunn as saying that Danny Smith was the most well-organized special teams coach he’d ever seen. After watching the Steelers special teams’ first game without Smith since 2013, that’s easy to believe.

Eli Heidenreich and Kaden Wetjen had solid though not spectacular debuts as return men. But the Steelers coverage units gave up more than you’d like to see, and had a long gain against them reversed by a penalty. Chris Boswell went 2-3 missing a makeable field goal, and the entire unit lost another with a “what was that?” moment. Clearly, Danny Crossman has work to do. Grade: D

Coaching
The last time someone other than Mike Tomlin coached the Steelers, MySpace dominated social media, Twitter was in its infancy and if you wanted to rent a movie, you drove to Blockbuster.

Outside of a handful of exceptions, this was an end-to-end overhaul of the Steelers coaching staff, and by and large new head coach Mike McCarthy and his coaches did well in their first game with Pittsburgh.

For all of the criticism of the new Steelers offense looking the same as the old offense, Mike McCarthy and Brian Angelichio’s play design and play calling choices differed greatly from what Pittsburgh has seen. And with just a little better execution, the score would have been very different.

Patrick Graham has no shortage of weapons to use on defense, and he deployed them wisely. This allowed several key players to step up at critical moments and this was the difference in the game.

September football is synonymous with sloppy football. The Steelers were no exception. But Pittsburgh was better prepared than Atlanta as the final score indicates. Grade: B

Derrick Harmon, Jack Sawyer and Payton Wilson gang tackle Brian Robinson during the Steelers win over the Falcons.

Jack Sawyer helps gang tackle Brian Robinson. Photo Credit: Karl Roser, Steelers.com

Unsung Hero Award
Sometimes less is more. T.J. Watt played well all day, but he exploded in the last 18 minutes. We’ve seen that before but not for a while. Over the past 3 seasons, Watt has played over 80% of the defensive snaps. Against the Falcons it was in the low 60s. And he was able to do that because a young, second-year defender was able to come in and spell him, and for that Jack Sawyer wins the Unsung Hero Award for the Steelers 2026 opening-day win over the Atlanta Falcons.

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5 Quick Takes on the Steelers Initial 2026 53-Man Roster

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It took 2 trades, cuts of four experienced veterans, 1 surprise injured reserve designation and an unorthodox quarterback decision, but Omar Khan and Mike McCarthy have assembled the Pittsburgh Steelers initial 53 man roster for the 2026 season.

Here are 5 quick takes on their roster decisions which come after a look at the initial roster in its entirety.

Aaron Rodgers, Mason Rudolph, Will Howard and Drew Allar at Steelers OTAs in the spring of 2026

Aaron Rodgers, Mason Rudolph, Will Howard and Drew Allar at Steelers OTAs. Photo Credit: Alysa Rubin, Steelers.com

The Initial Pittsburgh Steelers 53 Man Roster

Quarterbacks (4)

Aaron Rodgers
Mason Rudolph
Will Howard
Drew Allar

Running Backs (4)

Jaylen Warren
Rico Dowdle
Eli Heidenreich, Running Back/Wide Receiver
Riley Nowakowski, Fullback

Offensive Line (9)

Troy Fautanu
Mason McCormick
Zach Frazier
Spencer Anderson
Dylan Cook
Max Iheanachor
Gennings Dunker
Brock Hoffman
Ryan McCollum

Tight Ends (3)

Pat Freiermuth
Darnell Washington
Robert Tonyan

Wide Receivers (6)

D.K. Metcalf
Michael Pittman Jr
Roman Wilson
Germie Bernard
Ben Skowronek
Kaden Wetjen

Defensive Line (7)

Cam Heyward
Keeanu Benton
Derrick Harmon
Yahya Black
Sebastian Joseph-Day
Gabriel Rubio
Kevin Jobity Jr.

Linebackers (8)

T.J. Watt
Alex Highsmith
Patrick Queen
Payton Wilson
Nick Herbig
Jack Sawyer
Carson Bruener
Cole Holcomb

Cornerbacks (5)

Jalen Ramsey
Joey Porter Jr.
Jamel Dean
Asante Samuel Jr.
Brandin Echols
Daylen Everette

Safeties (3)

Jaquan Brisker
Robert Spears-Jennings
Rayshawn Jenkins

Specialists (3)

Chris Boswell, kicker
Cameron Johnston, punter
Christian Kuntz, long snapper

Injured Reserve Designated Return

DeShon Elliott, safety
Jack Driscoll, offensive line

1. Take Mike McCarthy at His Word on 4 Quarterbacks

When Mason Rudolph, Will Howard and Drew Allar were the only 3 quarterbacks during OTA’s Mike McCarthy affirmed that “4 quarterbacks would be awesome.” He meant it. For the third time in 21 years, the Steelers are keeping 4 quarterbacks on their initial roster. In 1995 they did it from a position of strength, in 1999 they did it from a position of weakness.

This time it is somewhere in between, but given the dynamics of the room, McCarthy is making the right move by keeping 4 quarterbacks.

2. There’s No Numbers in Safety

The most concerning personnel move the Steelers made was to put DeShaun Elliott on the injured reserve list. Sebastian Castro got cut while Donte Kent is on the PUP list.

That leaves the Steelers with 3 safeties, one of whom is a 7th round pick and another 9-year veteran on his 6th team.

Mike McCarthy has talked about using Jalen Ramsey as a Charles Woodson like chess-piece. I suspect he’ll start 2026 the way he finished 2025 – working as a strong safety.

Jalen Ramsey and DeShone Elliott at St. Vincents in the summer of 2025.

Jalen Ramsey and DeShone Elliott at St. Vincents. Photo Credit: Charles LeClaire-Imagn Images, via SI.com.

3. Steelers Lean into the “Fail Fast” Principle

The first major move that Omar Khan and McCarthy made was to deal 2023’s first round pick Broderick Jones off to Dallas, after just 3 seasons with the Steelers. The duo didn’t stop there, shipping off 2025’s 3rd round pick Kaleb Johnson to Green Bay for a 6th round pick.

During the spring McCarthy promised Johnson a clean slate moving in 2026. And he clearly got a long-look early in training camp.

But he fell out of favor with the coaches and will now follow his NFL dream with the Packers. Clearly neither Omar Khan nor Mike McCarthy are allowing sentimentally to cloud their decisions.

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 won. Photo Credit: Chaz Palla, Tribune-Review

4. Youth Over Experience

The entire Steelers 2026 draft class has made the final roster. Some of these guys could be headed to IR if veterans are re-signed and this may not be a first, but it is a rare occurrence.

  • Much has been made about the age of the Steelers roster.

And while the average age of the Steelers roster is a bit skewed by the presence of Aaron Rodgers and Cam Heyward, Mike McCarthy and his staff clearly opted for youth over experience.

Veterans such as Dean Lowry, Elandon Roberts, Malik Harrison, Travis Homer and Esezi Otomewo all got visits from The Turk.

Some of these players could be back either in the next few days or after the opener, but McCarthy clearly isn’t beholden to something that a player has done for the team or done in the league in the past, but instead is focused on what he believes players can do in the future.

5. The Ball is in Porter’s Court

The Steelers also had to decide to activate Joey Porter Jr. from the PuP list or keep him there for the first 4 games of the season. The Steelers activated him.

  • In doing so, they put the ball in Porter’s court.

The Steelers would like to extend Porter’s contract, and Porter purportedly wants to stay in Pittsburgh. But the two sides can’t agree on a number.

  • Mike McCarthy, unlike Mike Tomlin, doesn’t seem to have much use for “hold ins.”

Word is the Steelers want Porter to participate in practice before engaging in serious contract negotiations. Now that he’s off the PuP list he has to decide whether he’ll do that or not.

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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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Steelers Re-Sign Darnell Washington – Where and How High Can Mt. Washington Grow?

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Contract extensions dominos are falling in Pittsburgh.

First came Nick Herbig and second comes Darnell Washington. The Steelers have reportedly extended the contract of tight end Darnell Washington for four years at a 42 million dollars. This came one day after Omar Khan extended Nick Herbig for 4 years and 100 million dollars.

Darnell Washington, Barrett Carter, Steelers vs Bengals

Darnell Washington dumps Barrett Carter. Photo Credit: Karl Roser, Steelers.com

Both players were part of the Steelers 2023 draft class, and like Herbig before him, Washington’s extension proves that Pittsburgh’s draft drought is over.

And the exciting thing? Well take a look below:

Yes, you’ve seen this video before. But let me assure you of something, if seeing that doesn’t stir your soul, then you’re not a Pittsburgh Steelers fan, because Darnell Washington is only scratching the surface of his potential.

The only questions are how high Washington’s career arc will extend and which exact direction will it take?

Where and How High Is Darnell Washington’s Ceiling with the Steelers?

On the latter front, Steel City Insider’s Jim Wexell has been suggesting for years that Washington’s natural position is offensive tackle – standing at 6’7” and weighing in at over 300 pounds you can see why he’d be offensive line coach James Campen’s dream.

  • And there’s precedent in Pittsburgh for such a move.

Tight end Larry Brown caught the first touchdown pass from Terry Bradshaw in Steelers history during Super Bowl IX. Yet Brown transitioned from tight end to tackle after the 1976 season where he started through 1984.

Larry Brown, Super Bowl IX

Larry Brown catches a touchdown in Super Bowl XI. Photo Credit, Twitter, Vintage Steelers

As Tony Defeo pointed out, Chuck Noll was adamant that Larry Brown is one of the Super Steelers that should be in the Hall of Fame, and analysts outside of Pittsburgh agree he’d be there if he’d played his entire career at tackle.

The idea of moving Washington to tackle some day has been discussed with the previous coaching staff, but his new contract indicates that current Steelers brain trust sees him as a tight end.

Washington’s overall numbers are modest, but his production and performance have improved each and every season as his role in the offense continues to grow.

The clip above makes it easy to see why Darnell Washington has captivated the imagination of Steelers Nation the way no other tight end has since Eric Green. And, while Eric Green could have been Gronk before there was Gronk, expecting Washington to develop into a Rob Gronkowski-like player probably isn’t realistic.

Still, he gives Aaron Rodgers and whoever his successor is an incredibly unique downfield weapon. And, as someone who is already an excellent blocker, Darnell Washington is one of those rare players who moves people out of his way after he gets the ball in his hands.

Just ask Barrett Carter….

Where and how high can Darnell Washington go? That’s up to him. But fortunately for the Steelers, Mt. Washington will remain in Pittsburgh the next several years.

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Nick Herbig Extension Shows Steelers Drafting Has Turned a Corner

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Omar Khan kicked off minicamp by opening his checkbook as the Steelers re-signed Nick Herbig to a 4-year contract extension worth a reported 100 million dollars including over 40 million in guaranteed money.

The immediate focus of Steelers Nation is if and how Herbig’s new deal impacts the futures of T.J. Watt and Alex Highsmith, but the bigger picture behind Herbig’s extension is what it signals about the team’s direction.

Nick Herbig, Steelers vs Bengals

Nick Herbig strip sacks Joe Burrow. Photo Credit: Chaz Palla, Tribune-Review

Early Herbig Extension Signals End of Steelers Draft Drought

The Steelers drafted Nick Herbig in the third round of the 2023 NFL Draft. He’s now entering the final year of his rookie contract, and Omar Khan opened the off season by listing Herbig as a player he wanted to re-sign before he reached free agency.

  • This is not something Steelers Nation is accustomed to — at least not in recent memory.

But once upon a time, things were different in Pittsburgh. In the spring of 1993, the NFL’s first year free agency, owners were tripping over themselves throwing money at players, trying to buy a Lombardi.

In Pittsburgh Dan Rooney and Tom Donahoe took a different approach, quietly extending players like Dermontti Dawson and Greg Lloyd who were entering the final years of their contracts.

  • That practice became standard Steelers operating procedure for the next two and a half decades.
  • But the maturation of the Steelers 2018 draft class marked a turning point.

Terrell Edmunds, Mason Rudolph, Chukwuma Okorafor, Diontae Johnson, Alex Highsmith and Pat Freiermuth were only the players from the Steelers 2018, 2019, 2020, 2021 and 2022 draft to get second contracts.

Alex Highsmith, Tom Brady, Steelers vs Buccaneers

Alex Highsmith strip sacks Tom Brady. Photo Credit: Barry Reeger, HJ News.com

Highsmith, Freiermuth, Johnson and Rudolph were the only ones to the Steelers re-signed while they were still playing on rookie contracts, and out of that group only Highsmith and Freiermuth got long-term starter deals.

In contrast, the Steelers have already re-signed Herbig, and want to ink new deals with Joey Porter Jr., Keeanu Benton and perhaps Darnell Washington this summer.

  • Word is they would have given Broderick Jones his 5th year rookie tender had he not been hurt.

Barring injury or an unanticipated regression, Omar Khan will likely take a similar approach with several members of the Steelers 2024 Draft class next spring.

The Steelers playoff drought started with the loss to the Patriots in the 2017 AFC Championship game. Their quality of their drafts dipped precipitously starting in 2018 and continued through the rest of Kevin Colbert’s tenure.

  • But Herbig’s early extension shows that the Steelers draft drought is over.

The Steelers not only have a draft pick going into his 4th year who is worthy of a long-term extension, hopefully Herbig is the first of many.

Let’s hope that Herbig and the rest of his draft class make some playoff rain with Mike McCarthy.

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Steelers Draft Kaden Wetjen, Return Specialist, Iowa, in 4th Round of 2026 NFL Draft

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The Pittsburgh Steelers drafted Kaden Wetjen, a return specialist out of Iowa, in the 4th round of the 2026 NFL Draft.

For the first time in this draft class, Omar Khan and Mike McCarthy ignored the Steelers 2026 Draft Need Matrix as special teams positions were not considered, but with Calvin Austin and Kenneth Gainwell playing elsewhere, the Steelers needed to add a reliable kick returner to their roster.

The Steelers turned to Kaden Wetjen to upgrade their return game, prioritizing special teams impact over traditional positional needs.

Kaden Wetjen returns a kick for the Iowa Hawkeyes.

Steelers 2026 4th round pick Kaden Wetjen

Kaden Wetjen boasted the Big 10’s best punt return average, clocking in at 26.8 yards while returning 3 punts for touchdowns. His kick return average was 29.8 last year which represented an improvement from his from average of 28.0 in 2024 when he led the conference.

Looking at his complete resume, he’s returned 56 kickoffs for an average of 27.5 yards per return and scored 2 touchdowns. Wetjen has also returned a total of 54 punts for an average of 17.7 yards per return and he’s scored 4 touchdowns.

But Wetjen isn’t strictly a one-trick pony. He caught 23 passes and a touchdown in college while also rushing the ball 23 times for 2 touchdowns.

  • The Steelers however see him primarily as a kick returner first, wide receiver second.

New Steelers special teams coach Danny Crossman explained to Jim Wexell why the Steelers were attracted to Wetjen:

Number one, he makes great decisions, good ball security. And then he is what I refer to as a catch-run-cut player. A lot of guys are looking to cut, maybe before they need to. He is fearless and he’s not going to make the cuts until he has to, and he can do it late.

Responding by email, Steel City Insider’s Matt C. Steel critiqued the decision, explaining, “I didn’t like the Wetjen pick. That’s too early for me for a return specialist.”

Kaden Wetjen Highlights: Why the Steelers Drafted a Return Specialist in Round 4

Matt C. Steel’s skepticism is understandable as the 4th round does seem to be a little early to draft a return specialist. But when you look at his tape, you can see why the Steelers gave in to the temptation to bend the rules:

Wetjen consistently identifies return lanes and makes defenders miss in space.

Kaden Wetjen’s Role: Immediate Impact on Steelers Special Teams

As a both a 4th round pick and someone filling a role that no one else on the roster is dedicated to, Kaden Wetjen is almost assured a roster spot.

Still, like the other rookies, he’s going to have to prove he belongs, but special teams is the place where rookies can make an immediate impact, and the Steelers drafted Wetjen to give their return game a shot in the arm.

And while my instinct is to agree with Steel that a 4th rounder is too early to draft a kick returner, it is also important to remember that Omar Khan and Andy Weidl have drafted Nick Herbig, Mason McCormick and Jack Sawyer in the 4th round, so their track record at this spot in the draft is pretty strong.

Let’s hope they go 4-4.

Welcome to Steelers Nation Kaden Wetjen.

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Pittsburgh Steelers 2026 Draft Needs Matrix

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The 2026 NFL Draft is almost here! For three days Pittsburgh will be the focus of the football world as 32 teams make 257 picks unified by a single goal: Building a Super Bowl Champion roster.

The Pittsburgh Steelers stand out, not simply because they’re the host team, but because they have 12 picks at their disposal, more than any other NFL Team.

As our recent review of Steelers draft history reveals, success or failure in the 2026 draft doesn’t hinge on how many picks Omar Khan and Mike McCarthy make, but who they use them on.

With that, let’s take a look at where the Steelers need the most help.

This is the latest article in our Steelers 2026 Draft series.

steelers press conference,

2026 Steelers Need Tiers Ahead of the Draft

Over the past few weeks, we’ve reviewed each area on the Steelers depth chart and analyzed where they need help both now and in the future. What’s interesting is, if you take a look at the franchise’s needs in totality, the Steelers 2026 draft needs really do fall into three distinct tiers.

At the top you find safety, wide receiver, quarterback and offensive tackle, with safety clocking in at Extreme while Wide out, quarterback and offensive tackle coming in at High.

  • Then you’ve got a glut in the middle.

On the defensive side, cornerback, inside linebacker and defensive line all rate as Moderate. And on the offensive side guard and tight end clock in as Moderate.

Below that you have running back, rated as Fair, while center and outside linebacker are Negligible.

So how to make sense of this mess? Well that’s where the Steelers 2026 Draft Needs Matrix comes in.

The Steelers 2026 Draft Needs Matrix

Steelers 2026 Draft Needs Matrix

The one and only Steelers 2026 Draft Needs Matrix

Rumor has it that  Darnell Savage’s signing will be announced soon. But we’ve heard that since the start of free agency. Ditto Aaron Rodgers. All signs indicate that the Steelers still expect him to sign. But he’s not.

So in both cases sheer numbers indicate that the Steelers need to draft someone this week that they can expect to have on their opening day roster.

For that reason Safety tops wide receiver as the Steelers greatest area of need. They need a body. Wide Receiver comes in next simply because they Steelers need probably need to add two wide outs in this draft as opposed to one quarterback.

Quarterback tops offensive tackle, because they need another person there – having two developmental prospects behind Mason Rudolph isn’t ideal, but you need someone.

Offensive tackle is next because of questions about Broderick Jones and Dylan Cook. Even if both players are viable, they need another tackle plain and simple.

Here is where the needs matrix gets complicated, and there’s a lot to argue as there are many rankings that could go either way. Inside linebacker tops tight end because, although the Steelers have bodies there, they don’t have anyone that stands out as a potential long-term answer other than Payton Wilson, and even he could be challenged.

Darnell Washington, Barrett Carter, Steelers vs Bengals

Darnell Washington dumps Barrett Carter. Photo Credit: Karl Roser, Steelers.com

Tight end comes next, because the Steelers only have one untested backup behind Pat Freiermuth and Darnell Washington.

Guard takes priority over cornerback because, while the Steelers have two potential starters there they probably need to add another, and could upgrade both.

Cornerback and defensive line are similar. Both have solid depth charts going into the draft. But both could use upgrades and both areas could benefit by drafting future starters. But there’s more youth on defensive line than at corner, so cornerback is considered a greater area of need.

At the bottom we have running back over center, because the Steelers have two NFL starter caliber players and one developmental prospect, but this is a high-attrition position. But this one could go either way.

T.J. Watt, Alex Highsmith and Nick Herbig before the Steelers 2023 game vs the Patriots.

T.J. Watt, Alex Highsmith and Nick Herbig. Photo Credit: Karl Roser, Steelers.com

Finally you have center over outside linebacker, because you’d want Nick Herbig or Jack Sawyer going in for Alex Highsmith or T.J. Watt before you’d want to see Ryan McCollum going in Zach Fraizer.

Warning Against Drafting for Need

The purpose of the Steelers 2026 Draft Needs Matrix is anything but a suggestion that the Steelers should draft for need. Quite to the contrary.

With the exception of perhaps safety and to a lesser extent wide receiver, the Steelers have positioned themselves in free agency so that they don’t have to draft for need. Contrast this with the 2016 NFL Draft when the Steelers, for all intents and purposes, needed to draft a cornerback with a premium pick and ended up reaching for Artie Burns.

Cam Heyward, Cam Heyward Franco Harris Number 32, Steelers vs Raiders

Paying homage to Franco, Cam Heyward leads Steelers out of tunnel. Photo Credit: Karl Roser, Steelers.com

All of which is to say, if the Steelers find themselves with the chance to draft an ass-kicking defensive lineman who can become Cam Heyward’s heir apparent, by all means they should take him.

  • The same logic applies at almost every position, even those with rated as higher areas of need.

If a game-changing safety falls to them in the first round, they don’t need to pass on him just because they have to add a wide receiver. With 5 picks in the top 100, Omar Khan and Mike McCarthy have the luxury of sticking to their board.

When in doubt and they have two players at different positions rated equally, then the Steelers Draft Needs Matrix should tip the scales.

Let’s hope they do, and let’s extend our congratulations in advance to 257 young men whose dreams will come true between now and Saturday.

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Steelers 2026 Draft Needs at Inside Linebacker: Khan’s Work Isn’t Done

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If there is any one position that the Steelers have tied themselves up in knots trying to fill over the last decade, it is inside linebacker.

And no wonder why.  Jack Lambert, Levon Kirkland, and James Farrior were centerpieces of Steelers Super Bowl defenses, while David Little and Ryan Shazier took their teams to Conference Championship games.

The Steelers have made a plethora of moves at inside linebacker since losing Shazier. Some have been fruitful, others have failed.

So the question going into the 2026 NFL Draft is, must the Steelers address inside linebacker again?

This is the next article in our Steelers 2026 Draft series.

Patrick Queen and Payton Wilson on the sidelines of the Steelers 2025 win over the Vikings in Dublin.

Patrick Queen and Payton Wilson in Dublin. Photo Credit: Ian Walton, AP, via the Post-Gazette.

The Steelers Inside Linebacker Depth Chart Entering the 2026 NFL Draft – The Starters

The Steelers made a splash in the spring of 2024 when they made Patrick Queen the 4th highest paid outside free agent in franchise history (kudos to Chris Adamski of the Tribune-Review for this salary cap-inflation adjusted figure. BTW Wayne Gandy was first – ouch!)

No matter how you measure it, the Steelers invested heavily in Patrick Queen and the returns have been mixed. While he hasn’t been a liability, he hasn’t dominated at the level expected and needed of someone with his salary cap number.

Queen is only 26 and would normally be a candidate for a contract extension this summer, but it would be surprising if Omar Khan targets him for one.

Playing alongside Patrick Queen is Payton Wilson.

Payton Wilson, Justice Hill, Payton Wilson interception, Steelers vs Ravens

Payton Wilson intercepts a Lamar Jackson pass. Photo Credit: Karl Roser, Steelers.com

The Steelers drafted Peyton Wilson in the 3rd round of the 2024 NFL Draft. As a rookie, Wilson made his presence known fast, making Lamar Jackson pay when he tried to target him in the Steelers upset of the Ravens at Acrisure in 2024. He also recovered a strip-sack by Nick Herbig of Joe Burrow and took it to the house in the road win over Cincinnati.

Since then Wilson has worked himself into the defense increasing his snap count from 45% to 63%. Wilson’s second year was solid – he showed incredible heart and athleticism in running down Jordan Addison  during the Steelers win over the Vikings in Dublin and he authored an incredible game against the Colts, leading the team in tackles and securing his first interception, but his play leveled off after that.

The Steelers Inside Linebacker Depth Chart Entering the 2026 NFL Draft – The Backups

Leading the depth chart at inside linebacker behind the starters is Malik Harrison whom the Steelers signed from the Ravens last spring. Harrison played in 40% of the defensive snaps and overall was a solid contributor on defense.

Cole Holcomb, Davante Adams, Steelers vs Raiders

Cole Holocomb throttles Davante Adams. Photo Credit: AP via Tribune-Review

The Steelers opted to bring Cole Holcomb back. They signed Holcomb as a free agent in 2023, and Holcomb was beginning to make a name for himself when a brutal knee injury ended his season and ended up costing him the 2024 campaign as well.

Finally, the Steelers have Carson Bruener whom they drafted in the 7th round of the 2025 NFL Draft. Bruner, the son of former Steelers tight end and current scout made the final roster largely due to his special teams acumen.

If Pro Football Reference’s stats are to be trusted, Bruener only played 1 snap on defense, yet he played 64% of the special teams snaps where he was a demon, recording 17 tackles and winning 2nd team Pro Football Focus All Pro honors.

Steelers 2026 Draft Needs at Inside Linebacker

The Steelers have two solid starters at outside linebacker, two quality backups and a promising developmental prospect.

So they can ignore inside linebacker and focus on other needs, such as guard or tackle in the 2026 NFL draft right?

No, not so fast. The good news is that the Steelers roster at inside linebacker is relatively healthy. Unlike, say wide receiver, they don’t need to add a player with a premium pick in the draft. But they certainly can’t afford to ignore the position, and their experience in 2014 is instructive.

Going into the 2014 NFL Draft, Lawrence Timmons was still going strong, Vince Williams made great progress during his rookie year, Sean Spence was back and Terence Garvin was an interesting developmental prospect who was excelling on special teams.

Inside linebacker was the team’s deepest position and their lowest area of need entering the 2014 NFL Draft – Mike Tomlin and Kevin Colbert drafted Ryan Shaizer. How right were they? Well, three and a half years later, Shaizer’s injury closed the Roethlisberger Era’s Super Bowl window.

The Pittsburgh Steelers draft needs scale

Omar Khan and Mike McCarthy must take the same mindset at inside linebacker into this draft.

The Steelers don’t need to add an inside linebacker in this draft just as they don’t have anyone on their depth chart who screams “long term answer.” So they’d be wise to add a play maker if they can as their needs going into the 2026 NFL Draft at inside linebacker are Moderate.

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