The Pittsburgh Steelers are embarking on a new era. However, here we’re leaning into our annual tradition of “The case for the Pittsburgh Steelers in 2026.”
This is a continuation of the series started by the late, great Ivan Cole, a Steelers scribe who was taken from us far too soon. This series gives us a chance to celebrate his memory. As a writer it presents me the challenge of not only following his form but to also try to find the voice of my departed friend.
With that in mind, let’s lean into Ivan’s own words to explain exactly what “The Case for the Pittsburgh Steelers” series is about:
If you’re looking for yet another set of predictions in what is the season of predictions you will be sorely disappointed here. I don’t do predictions, don’t believe in them.
What I attempt to bring to the table are some observations as to how to think about what factors might be key to a positive outcome for the Steelers this season… make it to the playoffs and have a shot at the world championship.
Let’s dive in
Mike McCarthy and Aaron Rodgers at St. Vincents. Photo Credit: Matt Freed, Post Gazette
New Coach + New Era = New Hope
For the first time in 19 years someone other than Mike Tomlin wears the title of “Head Coach of the Pittsburgh Steelers.” That alone provides reason for hope.
- Sound strange from someone who remained an unapologetic Tomlin supporter till the end?
It should not.
I have zero interest in re-litigating the Tomlin Wars. Those wanting a no punches-pulled, end-to-end look at Mike Tomlin’s legacy and/or a deep dive on what went wrong in the second half of the Tomlin era can click on the links just highlighted.
Instead I’ll simply submit that Mike Tomlin, like all great leaders, knew when it was time to step away. And, more importantly, he handed Mike McCarthy a team that is turning the corner on talent.
- As Dan Rooney reminded us, “You have to have the players.”
And since Omar Khan and Andy Weidl took over the scouting department, the Steelers drafts have improved. Even if you control for Broderick Jones’ disappointment, the Steelers 2023 Draft is easily better than any of the five preceding drafts.
Nick Herbig strip sacks Joe Burrow. Photo Credit: Chaz Palla, Tribune-Review
The choice of Pittsburgh native Mike McCarthy may not have inspired us when it was announced. I admit, you can count me among the skeptics.
But let’s be objective: McCarthy boasts 174 regular season wins, and an 11-11 playoff record with his most recent win coming in 2022, and of course he owns a Super Bowl ring.
- Those numbers mean little to us without the present-day context.
McCarthy’s track record suggests that he can help heal what has ailed the Pittsburgh Steelers of late. It is no secret that Mike Tomlin’s Achilles Heel was his inability to hire quality assistant coaches.
McCarthy has employed multiple assistant coaches who have gone on to be head coaches. Some have had more success than others, some are still writing their stories, but McCarthy clearly has a better eye for coaching talent than his predecessor.
Along the same lines, McCarthy is an offensive-minded head coach and a quarterback whisperer. Truth be told, if Linda Carter had wrapped her magic lasso around me, I’d have admitted that my preference would have been for Art Rooney II to hire a defensive coach such as Brian Flores or Chris Shula.
But that same magic lasso would have also forced me to admit that the Steelers offenses of late can be described with two caustic words: Junior Varsity.
Jalen Tolbert scores the game winner. Photo Credit: Chaz Palla, Tribune-Review
In that light, McCarthy’s last visit to Acrisure Stadium in the fall of 2024 proves to be instructive: McCarthy’s Cowboys carried the day because their offense did what the Steelers offense could not: Set up manageable third downs and convert them with regularity.
Even if we keep in mind that preseason can deceive us, if the efficiency we saw on display in the exhibition win over the Packers is any indication of what McCarthy’s system is capable of producing, we can expect to see a Steelers offense which is both different and better this fall.
Quarterback: Can Aaron Rodgers End His Final Ride with a Bang?
To understand why bringing back Aaron Rodgers was a wise decision, let me propose a little thought exercise.
- The 2024 Pittsburgh Steelers lost their final 4 games, plus the playoffs.
- The 2025 Pittsburgh Steelers won 4 of 5 final games, then lost in the playoffs.
What differentiated those two Decembers? I submit to you it was the play of Aaron Rodgers.
Aaron Rodgers flicks it as Minkah Fitzpatrick can only watch. Photo Credit: Chaz Palla, Tribune-Review
Rodgers raised his level of play in a way that Russell Wilson tried and failed to do. Anyone looking strictly at his stats should instead re-watch his play in the 4th quarter of the Ravens game at Acrisure:
- Rodgers did what all great ones do, he made it look easy.
Those fretting about keeping 4 quarterbacks should stop. There’s ample franchise precedent for doing so, and we know that Aaron Rodgers is actively mentoring Will Howard and Drew Allar, something which can only help their long-term development.
- But wait a minute? Didn’t Aaron Rodgers reveal flaws in his game last season?
Yes, he certainly did. But we also have reason to hope that Rodgers will have a stronger supporting cast this fall.
Investment in Offensive Line Must Pay Dividends
Let’s begin the discussion of the rest of the offense by acknowledging the elephant in the room: The entire theory of the case of bringing Aaron Rodgers back was predicated on the offensive line improving.
Clearly, the playoff loss to the Texans proved that this unit still needed to mature. To that end, the front office continued to add talent while the coaching staff aggressively shuffled existing players into new positions.
- Clearly, what we saw from the Steelers offensive line in the preseason left a lot to be desired.
Clearly, this post-preseason quote from the head coach: “I like this group of guys, but we’re nowhere near where we need to be,” lands right smack in the middle of the bulls eye.
- Always trust a Pittsburgh native to tell it like it is.
What? You don’t remember seeing the clip of Mike McCarthy saying that recycled over-and-over again on social media?
Good for you, because you should not. Because Bill Cowher made that comment about his passing game at the conclusion of preseason in August 2005. He was right. The passing attack really had been substandard all summer.
And then Ben Roethlisberger then went out and began the season posting passer ratings of 158.3 and 139.8 in his first two games. And you probably remember how 2005 ended.
Does that mean we’re about to see a repeat of the same type of turnaround on offensive line 20 years later? Of course not. But it does remind us that such turnarounds are possible.
And we do have reason to hope that this season the Steelers offensive line will make that next step forward. Although 4 of the 5 guys are playing in different places, they’re all familiar faces.
James Campen is well-regarded throughout the league, and we should be optimistic that under his tutelage the line should make that next step forward.
Stop Suffering Over the Skill Positions
With the two-week gap between the end of preseason and the beginning of the regular season, it’s become somewhat vogue for prevailing narratives to shift in response to the void.
- Such is the case with the Steelers.
Word is that, with the roster set, the Steelers are set to struggle at the skill position.
Al Saunders has brought up a lot of good points along those lines, but allow me to be contrarian here: Objectively speaking, the Steelers are stronger today at the skill positions than they were a year ago.
The addition of Michael Pittman Jr. alone gives the Steelers two legit NFL starting wide receivers – something we haven’t enjoyed on opening day in 2 years – if not longer.
The talk from St. Vincents is that we’ve seen a new Roman Wilson. That Wilson was largely absent in preseason but, unlike last year, we don’t need to count on Wilson developing WR No. 2 because we already have one. And should Wilson falter, we also have Germie Bernard.
Darnell Washington dumps Barrett Carter. Photo Credit: Karl Roser, Steelers.com
At tight end we have Pat Freiermuth and Darnell Washington, the latter of which continues to have “upside” and has shown he is one of the few offensive players who can intimidate opposing defenders.
We have also added Robert Tonyan to the room who figures to simultaneously play less and provide an upgrade from Jonnu Smith.
Losing Kenneth Gainwell at running back certainly hurt, but Jaylen Warren has proven he is a gamer. As for Rico Dowdle? If you want to know why McCarthy’s offense so efficiently moved the ball the Sunday Night loss to Dallas, it’s because Dowdle consistently “won” on 1st and 2nd down carries.
Finally, the Steelers also have Eli Heidenreich who is listed as “Slash” wide receiver and running back and showed in preseason that he can be more than just a hometown feel good story.
Finally, the fact that Riley Nowakowski has arrived, giving the Steelers offense its first true fullback is a sign that Mike McCarthy is willing to go old school when it is warranted.
And if you don’t take heart at that, then perhaps your blood doesn’t run Black and Gold after all.
In Defense of the Defense
Another narrative that has gained steam over the last several years is that the Steelers highest-paid defense has under-performed.
Let’s concede that there has been some truth to that at times.
Anyone who saw the Ridiculing the Ravens administered in playoffs just two Januarys ago knows that.
But I am here today to suggest that maybe the Steelers defense has turned a corner. First, think back to some of last year’s losses. Certainly the defense earned their share of the responsibility in several of those.
But in several others, most notably the loss to Chargers and then to the Bears, the defense acquitted itself well and to be frank, a tremendous effort of theirs was wasted in Chicago.
- Much the same can be said for the loss to the Texans in the playoffs.
The Steelers offense did precisely nothing following D.K. Metcalf’s drop early in the game, yet here the Steelers were within one point early in the 4th quarter until two Texan defensive scores broke open the game.
Asante Samuel Jr., Joey Porter Jr. and Jalen Ramsey celebrate after beating the Lions. Photo Credit: Ryan Sun, AP via the Times-Observer
What should give us excitement are the steps the Steelers have taken to address weakness that were exposed in their defense last season. Run defense was suspect several times last year, including the playoff loss, and the Steelers responded by signing Sebastian Joseph-Day and drafting Gabriel Rubio.
Add to that another year of maturation of Yahya Black, and I think we have reason to expect an improved run defense.
Secondary was also a weakness last year, to say the least. Again, the Steelers acted swiftly in free agency, bringing in veterans Jamel Dean, Jaquan Brisker and Rayshawn Jenkins while adding rookies Robert Spears-Jennings and Daylen Everette.
It may take time for this unit to gel, but I don’t think there’s any reasonable scenario that sees the Steelers performing the type of in-season reconstruction of their secondary that they had to execute last year.
- And mind you, they still did that and managed to win the AFC North.
So yes, I see the arrow pointing on defense as well.
The Intangibles Test
This is the final element in play, and one that hasn’t got a lot of discussion. However, over on Steel City Insider, my friend Stratton Nash dove into the issue head-on.
- I strongly encourage those who have access to the piece to make time to read it.
For those who don’t I’ll summarize here succinctly: With Mike McCarthy and his staff the Steelers organization is likely to see an improvement in coaching tangibles – better assistant coaches, better strategy and all that comes with it.
- But what the organization loses is Mike Tomlin’s mastery of the intangibles.
Just think back to the brutal months of October and November. The Steelers suffered three head shots in rapid succession with the worst one coming last, at Acrisure Stadium no less at the hands of the Bills.
Many, if not most, other NFL coaches would have lost their locker rooms, and then some. Mike Tomlin? Not even close. He rallied the team like no other could. And we saw him do it time and time again in his 19 years in Pittsburgh.
- How will Mike McCarthy fare when he faces similar tests, which are certain to come in any NFL season?
We don’t know. While the end of his time in Green Bay opens the door for worry, I remain optimistic, if for no other reason because of the organization he’s coming into.
The Pittsburgh Steelers unrelentingly support its head coach and give him every chance to win. That should bring out the best in Mike McCarthy and, more importantly, position McCarthy to get the best out of the men he leads.
So let’s bring on the 2026 season and let the Mike McCarthy era begin!
Editors Note: Ivan Cole was a writer for Behind the Steel Curtain from 2010 to 2015 and then on Going Deep with the Steelers from 2015 until his untimely death in 2020.
