Now that the dust has settled from the 2026 NFL Draft, starting lineups are starting to take shape across the NFL landscape. Most positions are already settled, as teams know who will start and who will serve in backup roles.
For the Pittsburgh Steelers, that’s largely true. Outside of the big question of who will be the starting quarterback this season as they await a decision from Aaron Rodgers, the starting lineup appears all but set — at least on paper.
But for Bleacher Report, there are three surprising offensive starters projected for the Black and Gold.
Here’s the Steelers’ projected offensive starting lineup from Bleacher Report:
QB — Aaron Rodgers
RB — Rico Dowdle
TE — Pat Freiermuth
WRs — DK Metcalf, Michael Pittman Jr., Germie Bernard
LT — Broderick Jones
LG — Spencer Anderson
C — Zach Frazier
RG — Mason McCormick
RT — Troy Fautanu
Of course, if Rodgers does decide to return, he’ll be the starting quarterback. There is no debate about that.
“It’s hard to imagine Pittsburgh not having a better backup plan under center if the team didn’t expect Aaron Rodgers to play this year. Whoever that quarterback is, the weapons around him will be far different,” Bleacher Report writes of the Steelers’ projected starting lineup. “Rico Dowdle is in town now after back-to-back 1,000-yard seasons on the ground, Michael Pittman Jr. was acquired in a trade with the Indianapolis Colts and second-round pick Germie Bernard has the inside track to being the team’s third wideout.”
However, projecting free agent running back Rico Dowdle to be the starter to open the season over the incumbent Jaylen Warren feels like a bit of a stretch, as does projecting tight end Pat Freiermuth to be the true No. 1 TE over Darnell Washington.
Then there’s the decision to project Spencer Anderson as the starting left guard when the Steelers signed Brock Hoffman in free agency and drafted Gennings Dunker in the third round out of Iowa.
Dowdle might end up leading the Steelers in rushing this season, since he has plenty of experience under Mike McCarthy and his offensive scheme. But projecting him to be the starter right out of the gate feels like a slight to Warren, who rushed for a career-high 958 yards and six touchdowns last season.
Warren might ultimately slide back into that third-down role he was in behind Najee Harris early in his career, which he was very good at due to his pass-catching abilities and work in pass protection. But he’s the top back right now, and Dowdle is trying to carve out a role.
As for Freiermuth, he should have a nice bounce-back season under McCarthy with a more nuanced passing attack, but as Rodgers stated last season, the offense is different with Washington on the field. He took a step forward as a pass-catcher last season, and he remains a dominant blocker, which will bode well for McCarthy’s scheme built around the run game.
At guard, it’s hard to see Anderson being the starter, especially after Hoffman was signed and Dunker was drafted. Hoffman has experience under McCarthy and brings a nastiness to the game that could endear him to new offensive line coaches James Campen and Jahri Evans, while Dunker has an imposing presence and a bright future, having kicked over to left guard from right tackle in college.
Defensively, there were no real surprises from Bleacher Report in the starting lineup projection on that side of the football.
OLB — T.J. Watt
DE — Derrick Harmon
DE – Cameron Heyward
OLB — Alex Highsmith
ILB — Patrick Queen
ILB — Payton Wilson
CBs — Joey Porter Jr., Jamel Dean, Jalen Ramsey
FS — Jaquan Brisker
SS — DeShon Elliott
That starting lineup looks pretty solid top to bottom, especially when taking into account what the Steelers have in the trenches with the addition of Sebastian Joseph-Day, along with the experienced Yahya Black. Inside linebacker remains a bit of a concern from a production perspective, but outside linebacker is incredibly deep with Nick Herbig and Jack Sawyer backing up Watt and Highsmith.
The secondary looks much better after the additions of Jamel Dean and Jaquan Brisker in free agency. The selection of Daylen Everette in the draft adds depth at cornerback, too.
“On paper at least, the Steelers defense appears to have the potential to be a problem for opponents,” Bleacher Report added. “The team has an impressive three-man rotation at edge-rusher when you include Nick Herbig in the mix. Patrick Queen and Payton Wilson are a capable linebacker duo.
“Veteran Jamel Dean was signed in free agency to bolster the cornerbacks room, while the Steelers also added an upgrade at safety in Jaquan Brisker.”
With Patrick Graham as the new defensive coordinator, Pittsburgh should be much better from an Xs and Os perspective. Players have expressed confidence in Graham so far, and if that turns out to be the case, that highly paid defense should be able to perform up to the level of expectations.
If that happens, it could be a good season in the Steel City.
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