Mike Tomlin’s critics never let him forget that his one Super Bowl victory with the Pittsburgh Steelers came just two years after he assumed control of the roster and coaching staff from Bill Cowher.
For the rest of his career, they demanded to see him win one with players he’d drafted, developed and formed into a team. Not just with “Cowher’s players.” Not only did he never quite get to the top of the proverbial mountain again, he failed to win a playoff game for his last eight seasons. Fairly or unfairly, those failures fueled the notion that he wasn’t a championship builder himself.
Whether first-year successor Mike McCarthy is aware of that narrative or not, he left no doubt that this is his team now with his 53-man rosterdecisions Aug. 30.
Already, more than 30% of it has turned over since Tomlin’s departure in January.
He kept all 10 rookies drafted this past April. That list included sixth-round pick Gabriel Rubio and seventh-rounders Eli Heidenreich and Robert Spears-Jennings. All of them entered training camp as seemingly fringe candidates to make the team with multiple veterans to contend with. The fact that all three survived therefore seems to signal some intent on McCarthy’s part to stick with the guys in whom he’s invested.
McCarthy also showed lots of willingness to move on from underperforming Tomlin-era projects. Offensive tackle Broderick Jones was traded to the Cowboys after never quite putting it all together in Pittsburgh. Running back Kaleb Johnson was dealt to the Green Bay Packers just one year after he was drafted in the third round out of Iowa.
Veteran linebackers Elandon Roberts and Malik Harrison were cut from the final roster despite years of history within Pittsburgh’s defense. This came after names like reigning team MVP Kenneth Gainwell, receiver Calvin Austin III and guard Isaac Semualo were allowed to depart in free agency.
In their place, the Steelers were active in the free agent and trade market. They traded for Michael Pittman Jr., then signed him to a long-term extension to play opposite DK Metcalf at receiver. Rico Dowdle was a McCarthy favorite from Dallas who was signed to the backfield alongside Jaylen Warren. Jamel Dean and Jaquan Brisker were added to the defensive secondary.
Add it all up, and it’s a lot of change for one offseason.
Even the extensions given to some young players signaled intent to move on from the core of the Tomlin era sooner than later.
Draft classmates from 2023 Nick Herbig and Keeanu Benton were given lucrative contracts despite T.J. Watt, Alex Highsmith and Cam Heyward occupying prominent spots in front of them on the depth chart. That dynamic cannot last for long before salary cap considerations force changes and will probably lead to at least one of those big names moving on soon.
Those deals have unfolded amid a protracted contract negotiation with cornerback Joey Porter Jr. On paper, it should have been a done deal a long time ago. Porter’s father won a Super Bowl with the franchise in 2006, and Porter Jr. is the first dependable player at his position that the team has developed in some time since drafting him as part of that 2023 class.
He nevertheless remains unsigned as the Steelers seem satisfied with their offer and willing to let Porter Jr. walk in free agency if a deal isn’t reached by the Week 1 season opener.
All of it paints McCarthy as a man comfortable with the concept of change. And that’s a contrast with popular expectations for him when he was hired in January.
Many observers viewed him as a “caretaker” coach of his hometown team who’d keep a lot of Tomlin’s values in place while adding the expertise in quarterback development that the franchise believes it needs five years after Ben Roethlisberger’s retirement. Once a franchise guy had been groomed “the guy,” the 62-year-old would eventually step aside. Or so some thought.
That does not seem to be his posture. Instead, he has already taken one major step toward remaking the roster. At this rate, his Year 2 roster may not be very recognizable.
That pace of change in no way guarantees a Super Bowl win. But if it does lead to one, you probably won’t be hearing the words “Tomlin’s players” to diminish it from the cheap seats. There won’t be many left.
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Steelers' Mike McCarthy immediately differentiating his roster from previous years
