There’s been a lot of change for the Pittsburgh Steelers this offseason, despite their 2025 campaign coming to an end just a handful of weeks ago. However, not all of that change is receiving a warm welcome from the fan base. Particularly the new head coach, Mike McCarthy, who will kick off his tenure with the Steelers in 2026.
Part of the reason McCarthy was hired is because the Steelers want to win right away, instead of retooling or rebuilding. And while analyst Gregg Rosenthal doesn’t agree with all the decisions the Steelers have made, he does understand their goal.
“My medium-warm take is this team is not that far away. And actually, I kind of get the vision of not rebuilding, if nothing else. I don’t know if Mike McCarthy is a good choice. But I think that they can win this year. You know what I mean? Like, they have a good offensive line. They have a good defensive line. That’s a great place to start,” Rosenthal said Wednesday on his NFL Daily podcast.
Many have wanted the Steelers to have a down year for a while, mostly in hopes of finding the next franchise quarterback through the draft. But there’s still a lot of talent on this roster. Potentially too much for the Steelers to have a bad-enough year in 2026 to land a top pick. Rosenthal highlights the trenches giving the Steelers a good foundation, and he’s not wrong.
Although there are some question marks, the Steelers are mostly confident in the offensive line. At center and on the right side of the line, all three spots are secure. However, Isaac Seumalo is hitting free agency, giving the Steelers a potential hole at left guard. At left tackle, Broderick Jones and Dylan Cook will battle for playing time.
Defensively, the Steelers are stout as well. If Cam Heyward comes back, he’ll provide a jolt while still playing at a high level despite his age. Between Derrick Harmon, Nick Herbig, Jack Sawyer and others, Pittsburgh has plenty of young talent up front.
However, the quarterback position is obviously most important. And that is a real question mark. If Aaron Rodgers comes back, the Steelers have to put much more talent around him to be anything other than a first-round exit in 2026. Maybe they take a chance with Will Howard or Malik Willis, or someone from the draft. But those all carry risk, and who knows if they could actually compete immediately?
That said, Pittsburgh is coming off a division title. If the Steelers can get reliable quarterback play, add some weapons on offense and some depth on defense, this could be a dangerous team in 2026. Those are a lot of ifs, but Rosenthal is right that the Steelers aren’t that far off.
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