Mike McCarthy plans to maximize every player on the Pittsburgh Steelers 2026 gameday roster. If so, it’ll be a shift from 2025 and sends a signal to backups like RB Kaleb Johnson and WR Roman Wilson to create value beyond their listed position.
“The hardest decision of the week is when you go from 53 healthy players down to 48. That’s probably the toughest part of my job in season,” McCarthy told reporters Wednesday via the team website.
NFL rules allow teams to dress 48 players so long as at least eight of them are offensive linemen. Meaning, teams must have at least five inactive players each week who don’t dress and play. As once explained to former GM Kevin Colbert, the rule exists for competitive balance reasons so one team with several injuries won’t have an inherent disadvantage compared to a fully healthy team.
The 48 who dress must help the team’s mission to win. Backups on offense and defense need to play on special teams to maximize their value and make for an efficient roster. The only exception are offensive linemen, who only log special teams time on the field goal-protect team.
“If one player plays 98 percent, you got a guy over sitting there that’s played two snaps,” McCarthy said. “That’s not the outlook. That’s not how we’ll do it moving forward.”
Pittsburgh’s gameday roster last year featured such imbalance. After losing his job on the kickoff-return team, rookie running back Kaleb Johnson dressed but didn’t play a single snap on special teams. With such a limited offensive role, there were multiple weeks Johnson didn’t play a single snap anywhere that effectively “wasted” a roster spot as pure injury insurance.
To a lesser degree, WR Roman Wilson was in a similar situation. In Week 4 against Minnesota, he played four total snaps (three offense, one special teams). In Week 17 against Cleveland, a game DK Metcalf was suspended for, he played just nine – all on offense.
McCarthy’s message was broad but should speak loudest to players like Johnson and Wilson. Players who, if on the roster, are backups. Both need to find ways to increase their special teams value. For Wilson, that could come battling for a spot as a kick returner opposite Kaden Wetjen. For Johnson, that could come running down punts as a wing or blocking on the kick-return team.
In the NFL, the best and most efficient rosters win. Where each spot has a role and value beyond pure depth. McCarthy plans to see that through in his first Steelers season. If someone like Johnson can’t meet those expectations, he might become one of those inactive players McCarthy must decide on each week.
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