The last few seasons have all felt the same for the Pittsburgh Steelers. They’ve been good enough to make the playoffs, but they’ve gotten blown out as soon as the postseason has started. That’s part of the reason why Mike Tomlin stepped down. He felt like there needed to be a change to give the veteran Steelers players a better chance at competing for a championship. However, Mike Greenberg doubts that will happen, at least this season.
“I think the Steelers’ ceiling is even lower than it was before,” Greenberg said Friday on ESPN’s Get Up. “This is no obvious reason to think this team is getting better. If anything, I think they will likely get worse.”
The Steelers have made some improvements to their team. They’re better at wide receiver than they were last year, and they’ve arguably upgraded their secondary. Also, they’ve added some more young pieces to their offensive line, which could continue to ascend in 2026.
However, the Steelers’ biggest concern is still quarterback. They don’t have a starter at the moment. Will Howard and Drew Allar are both young and unproven, and Mason Rudolph is a solid backup, but he hasn’t proven to be a capable long-term starter.
The Steelers are still trying to sign Aaron Rodgers, though. While the four-time NFL MVP might not change Greenberg’s opinion, he showed last season that he can still be a viable starter, helping the Steelers win the AFC North.
Additionally, Rodgers has a lot of experience with Mike McCarthy. The two had a lot of success for over a decade with the Green Bay Packers. Therefore, there’s reason to believe that Rodgers could look better in McCarthy’s offense versus Arthur Smith’s.
Will the Steelers repeat as division winners? That remains to be seen, and from that perspective, they could be worse in 2026. However, the rest of the AFC North isn’t without issues. The Baltimore Ravens have a new head coach, the Cincinnati Bengals’ defense still has question marks, and the Cleveland Browns are the Cleveland Browns.
If Rodgers returns, the Steelers could make another run for a playoff spot. However, the goal will ultimately be to have some postseason success. The Steelers fell short last year, but maybe that will change this year. Much of that hinges on the abilities of Rodgers and McCarthy, though.
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