When Mike Tomlin stepped down, the Pittsburgh Steelers had an opportunity to change the franchise’s direction under their new head coach. It didn’t take long for fans to visualize an offensive mind coming to town, especially with a few hotter young names on the market.
One of those wishes came true. Pittsburgh did get an offensive mind in Mike McCarthy. But given his age and lack of recent playoff success, many Steelers fans were initially underwhelmed by the hire. However, that tide may be starting to change.
“When there were the contract questions about Nick Herbig and Joey Porter Jr. holding in, it was like no big deal for him. How many times has he gone through something like this?” The Athletic’s Mike DeFabo asked Tuesday on his Yinziders podcast. “It wasn’t that many years ago when he went into Dallas, and he had this similar challenge of taking a roster, assessing what the personnel was, implementing things, installing things brand new to a team… His age was maybe something, when he was hired, people were seeing as a knock on him, or something against him. Now, I’m starting to see some of the benefits.”
DeFabo is right that it isn’t that long ago when McCarthy was starting anew in Dallas. He had an underwhelming first year, but then led Dallas to three consecutive 12-win seasons. His Cowboys eventually went 7-10 in 2024, and he didn’t return to Dallas.
While he did have success for much of his tenure there, little of it came in the playoffs. This is part of the reason Steelers fans, who’ve been victims of seven consecutive playoff losses, weren’t extremely impressed with their new head coach.
It’s only been a few weeks of offseason workouts. But the mood around McCarthy certainly feels different than it did back then. Players have reacted positively to the many changes across the staff, and McCarthy has tinkered with practice routines as well. From players and reporters alike, he seems to be handling the transition well.
It hasn’t been a walk in the park, with storylines about contract extensions throughout the offseason. But it hasn’t really been too intense a situation, either. Nick Herbig signed his extension much earlier than most expected. Pittsburgh’s also already agreed to terms with Darnell Washington and Chris Boswell. Heading into training camp, Joey Porter Jr. and Keeanu Benton are the only two on the docket. If those don’t get figured out by the beginning of camp, it will be interesting to see how McCarthy handles things.
But, he’s been there and done that. With plenty of talented young play-callers across the league, it’s logical that many fans wanted one of their own. But in an experienced coach like McCarthy, DeFabo sees some positives.
Recommended for you