It was a dominant win for the Pittsburgh Steelers in their first preseason game under Mike McCarthy. It was good to see fans in the stands, back at Acrisure Stadium as the team enters a new era. After several weeks of camp practices, we finally got to see some much-anticipated game action from plenty of players who could shape the future of the franchise.
Let’s have a look at who shined and who hurt their stock after the Steelers’ first preseason game of the 2026 season.
Stock up:
WR Germie Bernard
Perhaps we weren’t able to
fully appreciate the skillset of rookie wideout Germie Bernard during the team’s practices in Latrobe with no live tackling. Bernard has always excelled after the catch and breaking tackles. The second-round pick picked up 22 yards after the catch on his third reception of the first half for a gain of 25. Bernard also nearly had a touchdown in the back of the end zone, holding onto the ball through a hard hit, but wasn’t able to get his second foot down. The rookie from Alabama finished the game with 4 catches for 51 yards, all coming in the first half. Bernard was clearly the top option for the Steelers’ passing attack with both DK Metcalf and Michael Pittman Jr. sitting tonight. Bernard is a player who will only continue to improve with more opportunities.
CB Asante Samuel Jr.
We are getting to the point with Asante Samuel Jr. that he is no longer a “camp darling,” but rather just a legitimately good football player. Samuel Jr. stepped up yet again with a pass breakup on a Jordan Love pass to stall the Packers’ opening drive. The following drive, the corner was lockstep with Green Bay receiver Savion Williams to the point where it was nearly impossible for the wideout to catch. The Steelers have found a hidden gem in Samuel Jr., and his playtime should increase in the regular season based on his performance in camp and now in the preseason.
QB Drew Allar
You simply cannot ask for a better debut from your rookie third-round project quarterback. Allar finished the contest scoring on all three of his drives. He went 9-for-12 passing for 154 yards, two passing touchdowns, and a rushing touchdown. The game did not seem to be too fast for Allar, who delivered throws on time and accurately. Even the layups and short stuff looked like a breeze for the young quarterback, who only had one noticeably off-target throw in the game. For as much talk about how much this game meant for Will Howard and Mason Rudolph in their battle for the backup quarterback job, Allar simply stole the show.
This is not to say that any of the Steelers quarterbacks played poorly; in fact, it’s quite the opposite. The Steelers quarterbacks went a combined 27/33 passing. It was a great job of play calling by Mike McCarthy in his first game as head coach, and Allar ended up being the one to light up the stat sheet.
WR Kaden Wetjen
Wetjen was drafted to be the Steelers’ return specialist in the fourth round this past April, but he was the team’s leading receiver in his first preseason game. In the highlight of the game, Wetjen took a 10-yard completion from Drew Allar and turned it into a 74-yard catch that nearly went for a touchdown. We saw the breakaway speed that the Steelers were betting on when they took Wetjen. On the following drive, Allar found Wetjen in the end zone for a touchdown after the rookie created some serious separation for himself. We didn’t see any big gains in the return game for Wetjen, but it’s hard not to be impressed with his showing as a receiver.
Stock down:
The first team offensive line
We got to see the first-team offensive line for the good majority of the first half, and it was not a great showing from the unit. Troy Fautanu looked rough in his first game action as the starting left tackle, as he picked up two penalties in the first half. Dylan Cook let up a sack early in the game, putting Mason Rudolph and the Steelers offense well behind the change. Funnily enough, the biggest winner on the Steelers offensive line might just have been rookie first-round pick Max Iheanachor, who missed the game as he works his way back from a shoulder/neck injury. This game seemed to open the door a bit for Iheanachor to earn the starting right tackle role by week one.
RB Kaleb Johnson
Is everything okay? As far as we know, the Steelers RB3 job is wide open for anyone to take. Kaleb Johnson was the third Steelers running back to get a touch tonight after Travis Homer and Lew Nichols. Johnson turned his two carries into just three yards. Those two touches were the least by a Steelers running back in the contest. The reality of the situation right now is that Johnson is not involved, and it is starting to seem like the Steelers don’t have plans for him in their future.
WR Roman Wilson
After a red-hot start to training camp and injuries to DK Metcalf and Michael Pittman Jr., Wilson would head into the Steelers’ first preseason contest as one of the team’s top receiving options. The camp success did not translate to any preseason success this week, and Wilson caught just one pass for seven yards. Wilson did a good job of coming back to the ball on his lone catch as Mason Rudolph was rolling out to his right, but it was an overall disappointing showing for Wilson. Rookie receiver Germie Bernard seemed to be the primary option for Mason Rudolph with the Steelers’ first offensive grouping. We will see if Wilson continues to line up with the first team in practice this weekend after being outshone by his rookie counterpart.
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