​As I study the Pittsburgh Steelers roster, I’m not sure I can confidently say I trust this team. Right now, the Steelers come across as a decent outfit, but they feel distant from good, and even further from great. It’s not that the Steelers are bad from top to bottom; rather, there are notable areas that require improvement on both sides of the ball. Ultimately, a lot will hinge on how Aaron Rodgers ages and whether the team can achieve success under a head coach other than Mike Tomlin. I think Pittsburgh did a solid job by bringing in Mike McCarthy, yet the questions surrounding the organization remain understandable at this point.
Time will tell how things unfold, but when you examine the roster, there have been some takes this offseason that I don’t fully buy. The latest came from CBS Sports, where a writer argued that Pittsburgh will be a better team than it was last year, at least on paper. The piece suggested that on both offense and defense, the Steelers have a stronger squad than the previous season. It pointed to improvements at wide receiver with the additions of Pittman and Bernard, claiming the duo should give DK Metcalf more space to operate and provide Rodgers with three talented targets to throw to. It also noted that the Steelers didn’t retain Kenneth Gainwell—an MVP favorite for Rodgers in 2025—but replaced him with Dowdle, who is purported to be on track to become the first player in NFL history to rush for 1,000 yards in three consecutive seasons while playing for three different teams. Pittsburgh still has Jaylen Warren, who posted career highs last season with 958 rushing yards and 1,291 yards from scrimmage, according to Bryan DeArdo of CBS.
There will be ample time for Pittsburgh to demonstrate that it can live up to expectations. There are going to be many questions about the direction of the organization from the top down once Tomlin decides to retire, so I’m curious to see how that portion unfolds. Regarding the roster, I have my doubts, as noted above, but there are still several talented players on this team, so I’m watching closely to see how things develop. The mix of potential and uncertainty makes this a compelling season for the Steelers, and the early buzz will only heighten the interest as training camp and the regular season approach.