The Pittsburgh Steelers wrap up their OTAs Friday, but the team’s rookies won’t be able to head for the beach at the end of the work week.
“The rookies, we’ll work next week, we call it ‘rookie school.’ That will be Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday,” Steelers coach Mike McCarthy told reporters Tuesday via the team’s YouTube channel. “That will be more individual time with the coaches and the rookies, and then our player programs component will be a big part of [that].”
The Steelers held a minicamp prior to the 2026 NFL Draft, so the rookies will work next week to get caught up a bit and spend more time with the coaching staff. The Steelers will have finished their allotted 10 OTAs by the end of this week, with the final two sessions coming Thursday and Friday, so the work for the rookies will be more off-field and classroom than anything on the field.
It’s a good opportunity for younger players to continue to get acclimated and work 1-on-1 with the coaching staff. While the Steelers held rookie minicamp two weeks after the draft, there were tryout players involved, and the coaches may not have been able to work as closely with each rookie as they’d like. This gives them an opportunity to do that. It also serves as a good send-off before coaches and players can take a vacation ahead of the Steelers reporting for training camp on July 28.
Rookies will have the chance to learn and develop while also building relationships with the new coaching staff. While all that has begun already, it will be a unique environment with just the coaches and the team’s rookies in the facility, giving them a chance to bond.
McCarthy also said that there will be programs for players next week. That could be something director of player development Darrel Young Jr. has a hand in, with his wide-ranging role that includes helping players with finances and working with rookies. It sounds as if there could be some programs to help rookies better themselves on and off the field.
It’s also useful for a first-year coaching staff to continue instilling its culture, and starting with a group of players who could become the team’s core down the line is a good way to do it. It sounds like it should be a beneficial few days for the Steelers’ young players and hopefully ones that better prepare them for life in the NFL.
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