Mike McCarthy’s coaching career with the Green Bay Packers and Dallas Cowboys was largely defined by three-receiver, 11-personnel sets. Now, the head coach of the Pittsburgh Steelers he may be quietly preparing a major schematic pivot.
Facing depth questions at wide receiver, host Christopher Carter highlighted on his “Locked On Steelers” podcast that Pittsburgh’s secret weapon could lie in heavy 12-personnel usage. That package would feature two tight ends, two wide receivers, and one running back.
McCarthy provided a blueprint for this transition during his 2022 campaign with Dallas. Utilizing Dalton Schultz and then-rookie Jake Ferguson, Dallas ranked fifth in the NFL in two-tight-end usage, departing from McCarthy’s typical bottom-tier rates.
Carter noted how McCarthy reflected on that dual-tight-end pairing and what it means for Pittsburgh's current roster.
"When it came to using those two guys as tight ends and featuring them more," Carter explained, "whereas normally Mike McCarthy's usage of 12 personnel would be towards the bottom of the league, they ranked fifth in how many times they sent two tight ends out on the field that season."
Carter emphasized that McCarthy sees the same potential in Pittsburgh's tight end room, pointing out that McCarthy noted: "I think biggest thing for our tight ends, now talking about the Steelers, is they give us a lot of versatility."
In Pittsburgh, that versatility centers on Pat Freiermuth and Darnell Washington. Deploying both tight ends forces opposing defenses into a tactical dilemma - respect the pass and get overpowered in the run game, or stack the box and leave athletic pass-catchers isolated downfield.
"I think if you look at Pat Freiermuth your tight end number one, Darnell Washington's your tight end number two. They're going to have these guys out there a lot," Carter said. "I think when you see Pat Freiermuth you say, 'I'm not going to reveal everything that we're going on,' I think it's because they want teams to think they're going to be rolling out there with a lot of three and four wide receiver looks and then all of a sudden they come out there in those 12 personnel packages."
By embracing multi-tight-end packages, the Steelers can dictate match-ups, establish offensive balance, and maximize efficient passing looks without forcing heavy throw volumes.
This article originally appeared on Steelers Wire: Mike McCarthy's secret weapon could change the Steelers offense
