A Completely Biased and Anecdotal Steelers’ Season Preview
As we all know, the Pittsburgh Steelers are in week 2 of training camp, and real football is starting to creep up on us. Only Minkah Fitzpatrick (39) days until the September 13th opener at Acrisure Stadium against the Falcons. (Only Kenny Pickett (8) days til preseason, but that’s only for sickos (me)).
Call me crazy, but I am ridiculously excited for this season. All reports from camp indicate that since the pads went on, second year defensive lineman, Derrick Harmon, and this year’s first-round pick offensive tackle, Max Iheanachor, have been balling out. This is the kind of thing I love to hear. Pittsburgh’s fronts on both sides of the ball have been significantly lacking for years at this point. Derrick Harmon already showed his impact on the defensive front, with Steelers’ opponents averaging 3.8 Yards Per Carry (YPC) when Harmon was on the field, with opponents’ rushing success taking a staggering jump to 4.5 YPC when he wasn’t. I doubt Max will have that much of an immediate impact, but if he can get into the starting lineup, he has all the tools to be a very solid right tackle on this team that has been struggling to find an offensive identity. 2024’s first round pick, Troy Fautanu, is slotted to move back to his natural position of left tackle, and he makes the move alongside the 4th rounder from his draft class, Mason McCormick, who played right guard next to Fautanu last season, and will also be moving over to the left side of the line to protect Aaron Rodgers’ blindside. Rounding out the offensive linemen from the 2024 draft, is Center, Zach Frazier who has been an impact player since he stepped on the field as a rookie, and has continued to be one of the best Centers in the sport. If this year’s selections of Iheanachor and 3rd rounder, Gennings Dunker, can find a way to hold down the right side, this offensive line could be a serious upgrade from what we saw last year.
Derrick Harmon in the wild.
On top of the influx of young talent on the offensive line, the Steelers brought in two veteran skill players that should provide a boost to an offense that ranked well below average, at 25th in the NFL last year. Pittsburgh traded for Indianapolis Colts’ veteran wideout, Michael Pittman Jr. and signed former Dallas Cowboy and Carolina Panther running back, Rico Dowdle. They may not be world-beaters, but they offer weapons to Aaron Rodgers in his final season that frankly, Pittsburgh just didn’t have last year.
After all of the rambling above, I still haven’t mentioned the thing that has me the most excited. The entire coaching staff has been replaced. Yes, in case you’ve been living under a rock, MIKE TOMLIN IS GONE!! In his place, is a big, beautiful Yinzer that you all may remember, good ol’ Mike McCarthy. Again, this isn’t a guy that makes me think that the Steelers’ are some sort of no-doubt Super Bowl contender or anything, but it does give me confidence that they aren’t going to be playing the same boring, conservative brand of offense that we had gotten so accustomed to seeing at the end of the Tomlin Era. Maybe he does a horrible job, I don’t think he will, but even that would be better than the years on end of bland, mediocre football we have been subjected to as Steeler fans. With McCarthy also comes new Defensive Coordinator, Patrick Graham. This guy spews charisma. There have been times over the last couple years where the defense looks completely lost out there. I think Graham is going to make those moments a thing of the past. Across the board, I just expect the Steelers to be a much more disciplined and creative team than they have been in a very long time.
Look at this big, beautiful specimen and try not to smile.
Like I said, maybe I’m delusional. I fall in love with these guys every year, and they usually break my heart. But like the rest of this city, I sit down around this time in August and tell myself, maybe this is the year, and who knows, it just might be.
I don’t want anyone thinking I live in some sort of echo chamber of positivity about the Steelers, so I thought it would be a fun exercise to ask some of my closest friends to tell me how they are feeling about the outlook of the 2026 Pittsburgh Steelers.
I sent the following text to a few of my friends:
“Wiriting a blog, give a brief rundown of your expectations, including a scale 1-10.”
When the first response was “on?” I realized that text made no sense, and quickly added a follow-up to everyone of “on the Steelers.”
The text and follow up text in question.
The Responses:
“I am excited for the season, but I have no hope we can do anything with Rodgers as the QB. Confidence is at a 3. Right now I am just so fired up for footbawwwww. I expect a repeat of last year. 9-8 with a bad WC loss.” - My very pessimistic co-host who you all know and love.
“I would say ceiling is a wildcard bid, floor is losing AFC North. It’s exciting for change to happen and I am interested to see a Steelers team with a new coach at the helm. But with change, there are often road bumps.” - My Vikings fan little brother
“Do I think we win it all? No. But I think we win a playoff game, so I’m gonna go 7.24” - Hometown Buddy and My roommate in college
“I expect them to be more detailed on offense this year, obviously with a more offensively oriented head coach. Expecting the same play from Rodgers with a more downfield runner with Dowdle hopefully able to get the run game going early in the year, unlike last season. Line to mesh a little better as well. 7.” - Hometown buddy and newly expecting father, (congrats again, bud!)
“My expectations for the Steelers have been the same every year until this year. I’ve always expected them to win 9-10 games , make the playoffs and then lose in the first round consistently because of Tomlin. But this year I expect them to have a down year because of the old QB situation, having a new coach, and the skill positions being the worst they’ve had in years. With that being said I give them a 2/10 confidence level, and I have them finishing at the bottom of the league (which is exactly what this team needs.)” - A Giants fan throwing stones from one of the most consistently glass houses in football.
“Eh, 6.” - Summed up beautifully by Mrs. Yinzer, a Packers fan. (I know, I’m working on converting her.)
(MORE RESPONSES WILL BE ADDED)
How do Yinz feel about this season? Like IronMike said “I am just so fired up for footbawwwww.”
