Michael Pittman Jr.
The 2026 offseason was one of change for the Pittsburgh Steelers. Mike Tomlin stepped down, the Steelers hired Mike McCarthy and a nearly brand-new staff, and there was plenty of roster turnover. With Week 1 just a week away, the Steelers are going to rely on plenty of new faces to help them make a run in McCarthy’s first season. Below are the three who will likely be the most important in helping the Steelers win this year.
MICHAEL PITTMAN JR.
The most obvious name on the list. Pittman was brought in to be a legitimate WR2, something the Steelers have lacked since 2023. If he can take defenders away from DK Metcalf and help Metcalf perform like a true No. 1 receiver again, he’ll have done his job. But just relegating Pittman to that role doesn’t speak to how good he’s been throughout his career, with multiple 1,000-yard seasons for the Indianapolis Colts.
Pittman has a chance to help take the Steelers’ passing game to the next level. How well he does or doesn’t play is really going to determine just how good the Steelers are at throwing the football. Metcalf should be the team’s receiving yards leader, but it wouldn’t surprise me if Pittman led the team in receptions.
Either way, he’s the offseason addition who should play the biggest role in the team’s successes or failures next year.
JAQUAN BRISKER
Brisker’s role got much more important with DeShon Elliott winding up on IR. He signed a one-year deal with the Steelers this offseason after four years with the Chicago Bears, with the assumption being that he’d be the Steelers’ third safety. With Elliott on IR and Jalen Ramsey likely playing more in the slot, Brisker should start at safety.
With Robert Spears-Jennings and Sebastian Castro as the only other safeties on the roster right now, Brisker’s importance is high. He’s a question mark given that he missed time in training camp with an undisclosed injury and didn’t play in the preseason. He was mostly solid during his time with the Bears, but in a new defense, it’s hard to project how Brisker will perform.
In a thin safety room, the Steelers are relying on him to bring stability and be a reliable starter. Even if his starting job only lasts for four weeks, his importance to this team is quite high.
KADEN WETJEN
Many of you may be confused by the choice of Wetjen here. But out of the Steelers’ free agent and draft picks I haven’t listed, he’s the only one with a guaranteed role that should see him touch the ball multiple times a game. Wetjen should be the Steelers’ primary kick and punt returner, and he’s going to need to show a lot more consistency in that role than he did in the preseason.
Wetjen was the best returner in the NCAA his last two seasons at Iowa, but his first few returns at the next level were shaky until he housed a 45-yard punt return against the Buffalo Bills in the preseason finale. Field position is so important, and Wetjen will be the man in charge of making sure the Steelers can start their drives with minimal yardage needed to get in scoring range.
If Max Iheanachor gets named the Week 1 starter at right tackle, he could be substituted in here instead of Wetjen. The same goes for Germie Bernard if he has a much bigger role than Roman Wilson early in the season. But given Wetjen’s special teams role, his abilities could really wind up helping the Steelers’ offense