Travis Etienne Steelers offense
Travis Etienne Steelers offense
My annual Pittsburgh Steelers free agency wish list is back. After predicting which internal free agents will stay or go, I’m pivoting to external names who could bolster the 2026 roster. The names GM Omar Khan should consider signing.
Today, we’ll start with the offense. My goal is to have the defensive list tomorrow with my “mock offseason” dropping sometime over the weekend.
Malik Willis/QB Green Bay Packers
The only free agent quarterback on my wish list. Willis will be a hot name with plenty of competition, and it seems doubtful the Steelers will land him. But Pittsburgh should be in the mix, especially as Aaron Rodgers’ future still looks as uncertain as it was two months ago.
I was high on Willis coming out of Liberty, but recognized he needed time to sit and learn. In typical NFL fashion, he was thrust into action too soon, struggled, and was written off as a bust. With more time and a better system and scheme in Green Bay, Willis’ talent shined.
The sample size is small. That’s a legitimate concern. But his best moments are tantalizing. His mobility is a factor the Steelers didn’t have last year, which will change the way defenses play Pittsburgh on designed runs and in the passing game. More focus on the quarterback, more mush rushes, more zone coverage to keep eyes on him.
His contract, while likely large, won’t be such an albatross around Pittsburgh’s neck. It’s not Kirk Cousins-level. The New York Jets can pry free from Justin Fields without much pain, and a similar 2-year, $50 million deal for the Steelers, so long as it’s not fully guaranteed, is manageable.
If Mike McCarthy was hired as the guy who could develop quarterbacks, give him a quarterback to develop. That’s the whole point. Willis is the one guy in free agency who could hit big.
Travis Etienne/RB Jacksonville Jaguars
If Kenneth Gainwell doesn’t re-sign, the Steelers have a need at running back. I don’t want to forget about Kaleb Johnson, but I don’t want to let a third-round pick off a bad rookie year dictate free-agency plans under a new coaching staff. Especially for a high-value target like Etienne.
For a running back, Etienne won’t come cheap, though contracts for the position are comparatively light. Pittsburgh bypassed Etienne for Najee Harris in 2022 but has a chance to atone for that decision. Etienne’s calling card is speed and playmaking, something the Steelers’ offense needs more of in the run and pass game.
From 2022-2025, Etienne ranked 9th league-wide with 23 runs of 20-plus yards. For comparison’s sake, the Steelers’ running backs combined had 36 runs of 20-plus yards over the same span. Etienne’s a dynamic runner and capable receiver who caught six touchdowns last year. That’ll help fill in what Gainwell offered, even if Etienne isn’t quite as natural.
Etienne won’t be cheap, and he’ll cost more than Jaylen Warren. But it might be worth it for big plays on the ground.
Mike McCarthy might be known for his work with quarterbacks, but he understands the value of a strong running game. That’s good for anyone who comes in at quarterback, especially if Will Howard gets a chance in 2026 or the team drafts a first-round rookie in 2027.
Kene Nwangwu/RB-RET New York Jets
This one is for special teams, not offense. A name we’ve probably mentioned before, the Steelers are desperate for a return-game boost. Few have been better than Nwangwu, whose five career kick return touchdowns don’t just make him the active leader but one who is lapping the field. No one else has more than two.
Despite just 21 total returns in the last two years under the “dynamic” kick return model, Nwangwu has a pair of scores. Unfortunately, he doesn’t have punt return value, which limits his role on the team, but a cheap contract to be in the mix for the job come the summer would be a solid addition. Pittsburgh can’t keep taking its meager kick return game for granted.
Reggie Gilliam/FB Buffalo Bills
Why not think about a fullback? Gilliam is one of the top names at a position that is making something of a comeback. Offenses are getting bigger and more physical to counter defenses that have spent the last decade getting smaller and faster to defend the RPO and horizontal passing game.
In 2025, Gilliam helped Buffalo roll for over 200 yards against Pittsburgh. He’s not much of an offensive piece but is a blocker-first, sorta in the mold of what Mike McCarthy had in (one-time Steeler) John Kuhn in Green Bay.
Gilliam, who turns 29 in August, is an accomplished special teamer with 290-plus snaps in each of the last five seasons. The only other player in the NFL to do the same is LB Nick Bellore. In 2025, Gilliam registered 13 tackles, so he was productive with those snaps, too.
How well a fullback fits into McCarthy’s current offense is a little unclear. But if there’s a home, Gilliam is the guy to go after. He’d essentially replace Connor Heyward’s role and roster spot.
Jalen Tolbert/WR Dallas Cowboys
I know you’ve wanted to see my list of receivers. There are the porridge picks, three choices from small to medium to big. Tolbert is the medium. There’s a built-in connection with Mike McCarthy, who was in Dallas when the Cowboys drafted Tolbert in the third round back in 2022.
He had a strong 2024 season with 49 receptions, 610 yards, and seven touchdowns. That included breaking Pittsburgh’s hearts with a last-second touchdown to beat the Steelers.
With George Pickens in the fold for 2025, Tolbert’s numbers fell – 18 catches and one score. But that will mute his value and likely have him eager to find a new home. Tolbert has some size (6-1, 200 pounds) with speed (4.49 coming out) that could fit well in Pittsburgh’s offense. Over the last three seasons, 13 of his 89 receptions (14.6 percent) went for 20-plus yards.
He’s versatile enough to play inside/outside and even returned five kicks in 2025.
Whether Tolbert’s a No. 2 or No. 3 would depend on his contract and other draft moves, but he’d be a major part of the offense.
Romeo Doubs/WR Green Bay Packers
The big fish. Doubs has long been connected to the Steelers, especially if Aaron Rodgers returns from their year together in Green Bay. Doubs never truly broke out with the Packers and competed with plenty of other receivers for snaps and targets. Last year, he posted 55 receptions for 724 yards and six touchdowns.
He’s a good route runner who gets open – something Pittsburgh desperately needs. While I’m a little dubious of the metric, Doubs ranked tied-31st in ESPN’s “open” score in 2025.
Doubs caught five red zone touchdowns in 2025, two more than any Steeler had and more than any Pittsburgh wide receiver has achieved since Diontae Johnson’s five in 2021. He still showed vertical chops with a long score late in the year against Chicago.
Doubs won’t come cheap, but the Steelers have money to spend and desperately need immediate upgrades. A rookie alone might not catch on with Rodgers right away.
Tyquan Thornton/WR Kansas City Chiefs
Here’s the cheap option. Thornton brings speed and big-play ability, which I’m focusing on this offseason. He averaged a whopping 23.1 YPR and three touchdowns on just 19 catches for the Kansas City Chiefs last season.
Thornton won’t turn 26 until September and could be a No. 3/4 option in the offense, something that will mean a lot more under Mike McCarthy than Arthur Smith.
Kylen Granson/TE Philadelphia Eagles
Granson was an interesting guy coming out of SMU. An H-back type, he found early success with the Indianapolis Colts. But his role began to shrink in 2024, and in 2025, he hardly registered in the box score in Philadelphia. Just seven catches.
That makes him a bargain now. Think of him as a bigger version of Heyward. A little jack-of-all-trades with special teams value. Granson has close to 1,000 career snaps there and made a whopping 18 tackles a year ago.
Ko Kieft/TE Tampa Bay Buccaneers
One of my favorite draft prospects a few years ago, Kieft’s claim to fame is that of a blocker. Tampa Bay gave him snaps early in his career, but a September broken leg wiped out most of his 2025 season.
He could bounce back in Pittsburgh. The Steelers have just one blocking tight end, Darnell Washington, and if Spencer Anderson starts at left guard, his tackle-eligible duties are gone. Kieft is a low-level signing who won’t be guaranteed a roster spot but can compete as a No. 3 blocker and also brings a deep special-teams resume.
Brett Toth/OG Philadelphia Eagles
Guard is an interesting position for Pittsburgh. I’m not in the market for paying through the nose for one, especially given the premium it costs to sign top names in the market. I’d rather draft and develop, which Pittsburgh has done well in recent years. But if Isaac Seumalo leaves, depth and competition are worth thinking about.
Toth is a good middle road. A backup for most of his career, he did log four starts in 2025 and logged 199 left guard snaps. He has a background playing all five spots up front.
He’s also an overlooked name on our coaching staff connections list. Toth spent the 2023 season with the Carolina Panthers, where the current Steelers’ offensive line coach, James Campen, served in the same role. Toth spent the past two years progressing under o-line guru Jeff Stoutland and might be hitting the prime of his career.
Underrated aspect of this successful screen: Brett Toth's angle to block the safety attacking from depth
Would be VERY easy for Toth's eyes to get big here and make a bee line for him, but he stays flat and parallel to the LOS. Meets him where he's going to be; springs Saquon pic.twitter.com/XhwEw71E1z
Toth can come in and compete with Anderson and potentially a draft pick. Maybe the team opts against re-signing exclusive rights free agent Ryan McCollum and brings in Toth as a backup center option if he loses the job. Good o-line depth is key, and Toth can provide that – and maybe more – without breaking the bank.
Justin Skule/OT Minnesota Vikings
Veteran swing tackle depth and a connection with current Pittsburgh OC Brian Angelichio, his former coach in Minnesota. Skule has over 1,200 career snaps at left tackle and about 350 on the right side. That’s an advantage the team wouldn’t gain if Andrus Peat returned, who is a left-side player only (left tackle, left guard).
If Broderick Jones is unavailable to begin camp, Skule would compete with Dylan Cook for the starting left tackle job. Cook would be the clear favorite, but Skule is the right veteran to push him. Credible enough to make it a battle, but a contract that should be relatively cheap, call it $2-4 million per year, where the team won’t feel obligated to start him based on his deal alone.
Teven Jenkins/OG Cleveland Browns
A former Top-50 draft pick, Jenkins flopped in Chicago with a tough rookie year. But he found some traction in Cleveland last year. On 300-odd snaps, he graded out well and played at right guard and tackle-eligible. In 2023 and 2024 with the Bears, he worked at left guard. Like Toth, he could provide competition for Anderson or replace his role as a sixth lineman, though how often it’ll be used under the new coaching staff isn’t fully clear.
Jenkins came out of Oklahoma State as a nasty and physical run blocker. Pittsburgh needs a butt kicker like that, and he could at least help set the tone in training camp.