Mike Tomlin was flawed as the Pittsburgh Steelers’ head coach, but he still never led them to a losing season. That streak stretches back before Tomlin, with Pittsburgh’s last losing season in 2003. However, with Tomlin gone, former NFL All-Pro running back Priest Holmes predicts that the Steelers will win eight games or fewer in 2026.
“I’m saying under [8.5 wins],” Holmes said recently on his Holmes Stretch podcast. “Regardless of the coach coming in, new coach, new system, new rules. Are you going to have these guys conform? That’s the question mark on that.”
It’s fair to wonder if the Steelers’ consistency will continue with a new head coach. However, Pittsburgh chose an established name in Mike McCarthy, so the team’s high floor could stay elevated. He has a career regular-season record of 174-112-2 in his 18 seasons as a head coach. That includes 13 seasons finishing .500 or better.
Also, some of McCarthy’s losing seasons happened with major injuries to the quarterback position. While the Steelers still aren’t sure who their starter under center will be, there’s a lot to like about the rest of their roster.
That includes the running back position, which features the recently signed Rico Dowdle. While Holmes is down on the Steelers as a whole, he’s confident that Dowdle will play well.
“He’s been definitely productive over the last two years. He’s shown he can do that, whether with Carolina or with the Dallas Cowboys, a 1,000-yard rusher back-to-back. That allows you to know this is the pedigree, this is what I’ve got coming in, but there’s nothing less to be expected…
“I think Rico’s [Dowdle] gonna be very productive. Also, new environment, new team, he’s already shown that he can leave one team, go to Carolina, and also produce. We can say that this team’s going to be consistent with the running game. They like to run the ball.”
Dowdle gives the Steelers a solid complement to Jaylen Warren. Warren has mostly split time as the starter in Pittsburgh. But Dowdle has shown that he can be a starting running back.
He has experience playing under McCarthy, too. He spent the first five seasons of his career playing under the former head coach of the Cowboys. There, he developed into the player he is today. This includes his first 1,000-yard season in 2024, which was McCarthy’s last year in Dallas.
Also, the Cowboys had a losing record that year, finishing 7-10, but Dowdle still produced. Perhaps that’s the kind of season Holmes envisions for the Steelers.
That’s possible. Holmes isn’t saying that the Steelers will be terrible. However, a new head coach and an almost entirely new coaching staff could cause the team to hit a few speed bumps. One of Tomlin’s greatest strengths was his ability to raise Pittsburgh’s floor. Even when Ben Roethlisberger went down early in the 2019 season, the Steelers still battled back and didn’t finish with a losing record.
For all of Tomlin’s flaws, that ability was impressive, and not many coaches can do that. The Steelers still have uncertainty at quarterback. McCarthy might have more trouble navigating that issue in Pittsburgh than Tomlin did.
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