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Pittsburgh Steelers head coach Mike McCarthy at training camp on Aug. 8, 2026. — Ed Thompson / Steelers Now
PITTSBURGH — The Pittsburgh Steelers find themselves squarely in the postseason discussion as they near a primetime matchup on the road against the Cincinnati Bengals on Sunday night.
Mike McCarthy‘s team isn’t the only one trying to position itself, with other contenders dealing to add impact players before Tuesday’s trade deadline. Asked Monday if seeing others inject more talent into their teams — such as the Jacksonville Jaguars acquiring safety Jessie Bates earlier in the morning and defensive tackle Jordan Davis later in the evening — prompts some urgency to do the same, the first-year Steelers head coach placed his trust in the team’s front office.
“I spent a decade in my life as a head coach, and I didn’t even know when the hell the trade deadline was,” McCarthy said during his weekly press conference at the UPMC Rooney Sports Complex. “I just knew it was somewhere around the middle of the season, but it’s part of it. It’s different, I get it, everybody wants to improve the roster, and, hey, I have great confidence in Omar (Khan) and Art (Rooney II that) if there’s something there, we’ll do the right thing. But I think it’s very important for me as the head coach to keep my eye on the target. That’s the 68-plus that are in the building.
“If we had someone that’s gonna help us win, I think everybody would be for that.”
Pittsburgh Steelers head coach Mike McCarthy points at tight end Pat Freiermuth during a game against the Cleveland Browns on Nov. 1, 2026. — Ed Thompson / Steelers Now
McCarthy added that he hasn’t been involved in any discussions regarding trades as the Steelers get ready for the AFC North clash.
“Really, we came back to work yesterday morning, the coaching staff, we’ve been involved in the game plan meetings,” McCarthy said. “We just cleaned up some self-scout stuff yesterday, and they’re just conversations. … We’ve just really been working on Cincinnati. I know Omar and his staff are doing their due diligence and so forth, but I haven’t really spent a lot of time down there.”
Alan Saunders provided reporting from Pittsburgh.
Mentioned In This Article:Mike McCarthy Omar Khan Pittsburgh Steelers Steelers