The Pittsburgh Steelers made a number of improvements this offseason, adding key veterans across the board in free agency and via trade. GM Omar Khan has built a roster that looks much improved, giving a new coaching staff under first-year head coach Mike McCarthy a strong group of players with which to work.
Yet, because of the decision to run things back with 42-year-old quarterback Aaron Rodgers, there are real questions surrounding the Steelers and their ability to truly compete in 2026.
Despite the familiarity with McCarthy and his offensive scheme – a scheme in which Rodgers had some of his best years – there seems to be an overarching belief that the Steelers will be limited in 2026.
At least, that’s how ESPN’s Dan Graziano sees things.
“There isn’t a playoff-type team that has taken the quarterback position less seriously than the Steelers have over the past three years. It’s as if the Kenny Pickett first-round flop broke their will and they’ve decided it’s just not worth it to try for real answers,” Graziano writes of the Steelers. “The overall roster looks better than it did a year ago, but the coaching change and the refusal to look anywhere else but Rodgers for a QB solution make Pittsburgh feel like a franchise whose ceiling is well established at this point.”
It feels pretty unfair of Graziano to say the Steelers’ ceiling is well established at this point despite the overall roster looking better and the significant changes the Steelers made this offseason.
With McCarthy’s experience calling plays and his history of putting together good offenses, coupled with an improved receiver room and the experience of Rodgers under center, Pittsburgh should be much better offensively this season.
Last season, despite scoring 23.4 points per game, things always felt like a slog for the Black and Gold. That shouldn’t be the case this season. Plus, the Steelers changed things up defensively with the hiring of Patrick Graham as the new coordinator, giving Pittsburgh an experienced and creative defensive mind to mold things.
The Steelers have a great deal of talent on that side of the football, and with improved schematics, they should be able to take a step forward.
It will all come down to the quarterback, though. Rodgers might be a bit uninspiring, but his pairing with McCarthy for one season makes a great deal of sense. So, too, does McCarthy’s investment in Drew Allar, a third-round pick in the 2026 NFL Draft.
Things might not look perfect at quarterback right now, but the Steelers have the right man in charge to find that next franchise quarterback. They also took the right swing this offseason at the position from both a short- and long-term outlook.
It’s not that the Steelers aren’t trying. Graziano should be smart enough to see that.
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