While we are I the midst of the NFL dead period, we are provided time to reflect on the 2026 offseason as a whole.
It was yet another busy several months for the Pittsburgh Steelers, who went through the most change the organization has seen in two decades from a coaching staff perspective, but also brought in several proven stars on both sides of the ball.
Barring another trade, every major move for Pittsburgh is over and done with, and we’ll look at each one today. This marks the second year in a row
I’ve done this piece, and you can go and read last year’s to see just how accurate those thoughts were. Before then, though, here are my grades for all of the Steelers’ major 2026 offseason moves.
Mike McCarthy hired as head coach
This was not the way to start the offseason for the Steelers. I was underwhelmed by the process of this head coaching search. After Mike Tomlin resigned, it felt like the perfect window of opportunity to enter a bit of a “retooling,” if you will. Each of the last three times the Steelers had hired a head coach, they had prioritized youth. Noll, Cowher, and Tomlin were all in their 30s when they were hired by the Steelers. McCarthy now takes charge of the team at 62.
This decision was a curious one to me, and to be perfectly honest, I was put off by how much it seemed that Rooney and Khan took into account that McCarthy is from the Pittsburgh area. If McCarthy is able to set up and develop a franchise quarterback for the Steelers to play long after he retires, his tenure will most likely be looked upon fairly fondly. However, I struggle to see the vision of competing for a Super Bowl with the current core. I would have liked to have seen a young up-and-comer hired.
Grade: D
Trading for Michael Pittman Jr.
This was a great way to start off the legal tampering period for Pittsburgh. The Steelers at long last invested in a competent second receiving threat after ignoring it for an entire season. They also paid next to nothing to acquire him. The Steelers only sent a future sixth-round pick to acquire Pittman and a future seventh round-pick. Pittman then agreed to a three-year extension with the franchise with up to $59 million. Not only did this trade cost next to nothing for the Steelers, but the contract is also very palatable.
Pittman cannot be a dominant wide receiver, but he will never be expected to be such a thing in Pittsburgh, and his contract accurately reflects that. He will be a breath of fresh air in an offense that was severely lacking weapons last season.
Grade: A
Free Agency Class
After the McCarthy hire, it was clear that the Steelers were going to continue trying to win as many games as possible with the current core that they have. Although I already discussed why I disagree with this process, I truly enjoyed the way the Steelers attacked free agency. Jamel Dean was my favorite signing of the bunch. He gives you the flexibility you so desperately needed last season, opposite of Porter Jr.
Rico Dowdle will be a much better complement to Jaylen Warren than Kenneth Gainwell was. I have no doubts that Warren can be just as good a receiving threat out of the backfield this season as Gainwell was last season. I don’t anticipate Rodgers having to check the ball down to his running back as much this season with an improved wide receiver room and offensive line. However, I do think Warren is perfectly capable of having a good season catching the football, and both backs will have the opportunity to eclipse one thousand scrimmage yards.
I would have liked to see the Steelers invest in some more inside linebacker depth than bringing back Cole Holcomb. I am not upset with him returning to the team in a vacuum. I am a bit skeptical of signing Cameron Johnston again after the team cut him last fall after losing the training camp punting battle to Corliss Waitman, who ranked 25th in yards per punt last season. We will see how that turns out, I guess.
I find it hard to believe that the Steelers will miss any of the free agents that they let walk, short of maybe Miles Killebrew on special teams. Calvin Austin is not someone who was worth bringing back, nor was Isaac Seumalo. The Steelers were perfectly aggressive and attacked a lot of positions of need early in free agency.
Grade: A
2026 NFL Draft Class
Going into the draft, I was excited to see the haul of players the Steelers would bring in after entering the draft with the most picks of anyone. However, I was a bit underwhelmed by how the Steelers used those picks. The optics of the first round and the infamous Makai Lemon phone call situation are about as bad as it can get, but the Steelers still were able to draft a quality player in Max Iheanachor. It’s hard for me to get overly excited, considering that this is clearly a backup plan for the Steelers.
I love the skill set of Germie Bernard and what he could bring to the offense. I truly believe that there is a path for him to have a serious role in his rookie season. Daylen Everette is someone who I did not do much work on during the pre-draft process, but I have grown quite fond of. He has been standing out in OTAs with the absence of Porter Jr. If he continues to perform well into training camp, it might be hard for the Steelers to keep him off the field his rookie year, even in a deep corner room.
Drew Allar was one of my favorite selections that Pittsburgh made. I have been clamoring for the Steelers to invest serious capital into the most important position in football, and if you are happy with calling a third round pick serious capital, then I guess this will do. McCarthy hand picked Allar out of this crop of quarterbacks and has chosen to take on the task of fixing Allar’s mechanical and decision-making flaws. Allar has some serious upside and gives McCarthy an opportunity to justify the label of a quarterback developer. I think following up the Allar selection with Gennings Dunker was a nice way to show that although the team still believes they can win a lot of games this year, they are planning for the future a bit too. I don’t necessarily see Dunker as someone I would be comfortable paying immediately.
Day Three of the draft was a complete and total mess. Kaden Wetjen could be a great kick returner. In fact, he had better be one of the very best in the entire game in his rookie year to justify Pittsburgh using a fourth-round selection on him. He is not a player who can be a serious receiving threat. I was not super thrilled with following that up with the selection of Riley Nowakowski, who is listed on the team website as a fullback and will almost certainly play exclusively that. I knew that a fullback selection of some kind was coming, but I felt that someone like Nowakowski would be available later. Little did I know that it could actually get worse.
I know what everyone is thinking here, too. How could I be so upset about a sixth-round pick? Well, perhaps I care a bit too much; in fact, I know I do. Gabriel Rubio 210 overall was genuinely hilarious. I don’t see a path for Rubio to make the 53-man roster, especially in a stacked defensive tackle room like the Steelers have. When you are taking guys who have little to no chance of making the team in the sixth round, they should at least have some upside. Rubio has little to no upside, and I am quite honestly baffled that the Steelers took him here. Interestingly enough, the following two picks the Steelers made were actually quite good. Making the Rubio selection that much more of a headscratcher.
Robert Spears-Jennings can play against the run very well. I also think his speed will help him make the team as a special teams player in a true developmental role. Eli Heidenreich is a cool story with a local kid who was incredibly productive in college. You just knew that McCarthy, Rooney, and Khan wanted to take someone with Pittsburgh ties, and this was the best way they could have done it. I’m not quite sure where Hendenreich will play at the next level, and I think that could actually help him. He will be one of the most interesting guys to watch in training camp, just to see how the Steelers use him and where on the field he plays. He will have a bit of a tough time making the roster, though, as the running back room is very much in question. His best shot may be to make the team as a receiver who can play multiple positions.
I find it very tough to grade draft classes this early, and it’s honestly a little unfair to do so. Due to the fact that I am a bit underwhelmed by the haul of players they got and the optics of the botched first round pick I feel inclined to lean into the doomer side of things here.
Grade: C–
Nick Herbig Contract Extension
Absolute class by Omar Khan here. I love that the Steelers prioritized the future of their edge room despite having two guys under contract already. Even when he starts to get a bit more expensive next season, he will only cost Pittsburgh about eight percent of their total cap space. For a premium edge rusher like Herbig, that is a bargain. Herbig has only gotten more productive with more snaps and recorded 7.5 sacks playing just around 60 percent of the snaps in 15 games this past season. Herbig, in my mind, is already one of the Steelers’ best players who has yet to be fully unlocked.
Grade: A+
Darnell Washington Contract Extension
Another masterclass by Khan here. At $8.5 million per year, Washington is not only one of the best blocking tight ends in the entire league, but he showed flashes last year that there is more to unlock as a receiver. A McCarthy offense could be exactly what Washington needs to truly be a game-changing tight end as a blocker and receiver. I am hopeful that Washington and Freiermuth see the field about the same amount this year. Washington simply deserves to be on the field as much as humanly possible.
Grade: A+
Khan may not be done with all the contract extensions just yet. It has been widely reported that the franchise is actively working on a new contract for defensive tackle Keeanu Benton. It also wouldn’t be entirely surprising to see starting corner Joey Porter Jr. get a bag before the season kicks off. Interestingly enough, it seems as though the Steelers may be playing a game of chicken with the Patriots and Seahawks, who are also due to pay their star corners in Christian Gonzalez and Devon Witherspoon. The Porter extension is the biggest domino yet to fall this offseason and will certainly be the most expensive. Overall, it has been one of the most eventful offseasons in quite some time for the Steelers.
Let me know if you agree with me or not! Excited for training camp to begin so we can get a better idea of how this new coaching regime will change the Steelers this season! Be sure to bookmark Behind the Steel Curtain for all the latest news, breakdowns, and more!
- Steelers unable to draft QB Brendan Sorsby, per NFL ruling
- T.J. Watt welcoming change with Mike McCarthy as he chases return to dominance
- Steelers under the radar defender named big winner of offseason
- Four trades the Steelers should make before training camp
- Mike McCarthy is exactly who Pat Freiermuth needed
