Change Is Good (And Players Know It)

Even Mike Tomlin knew things were growing stale in his final years. Mike McCarthy stepped in and immediately implemented a bunch of changes. That could create issues for some veteran-heavy organizations that have been doing things one way for years, but players are bought in. There was almost perfect attendance throughout OTAs and minicamp, even for the voluntary portions.

McCarthy removed the benches at practice, upped the number of OTA practices, and made sure they maximized every last minute of the two hours by preventing coaches from going onto the field until after warmups. Oh, and he’s keeping rookies one week after OTAs for a “rookie school.” He’s serious about hitting the ground running in his first year with the team.

T.J. Watt admitted the change is good, and that seems to be the prevailing sentiment around the locker room.

Clear Favorite For QB2

Will Howard has been the QB2 from the beginning of the offseason, signaling a clear intent to give him every opportunity to win the backup job. Unless one of the four gets injured and is stashed on IR, one of Howard or Mason Rudolph is going to be the odd man out. Pittsburgh clearly prefers that Howard wins the job.

According to Ray Fittipaldo, the training camp depth chart shouldn’t change from the way things worked at OTAs. Howard should get a majority of the preseason snaps as well.

Best CB Room In Years

It’s hard to glean too much from football in shorts, but Daylen Everette’s name was mentioned by almost all beat writers when asked for the best rookie performers. Coming from Georgia, the NFL isn’t as large of a jump in competition as it is for others, and he’s showing those benefits early on. Paired against DK Metcalf, Everette hasn’t embarrassed himself, and even made some plays in the process.

There were so many years in Pittsburgh without even a clear CB1. Now the Steelers have a clear CB1, CB2, and a competition for CB3 between two talented players in Everette and Asante Samuel Jr. And I didn’t even mention Brandin Echols.

This has a chance to be Pittsburgh’s most talented (and deepest) CB room since the 2000s, maybe even the 1990s.

Aaron Rodgers Still Has It

Age is just a number, at least for Aaron Rodgers’ arm. He proved it last year with a Hail Mary attempt that flew nearly 70 yards through the air. That trait isn’t going anywhere in 2026 as Rodgers heaved a ball that reportedly went 60-70 yards through the air to Roman Wilson in practice.

If Pittsburgh can give him time to throw the ball and a better offensive system to run, his continuity with the team could create much better results in Year 2.

New-Look Defensive Front

Change is afoot across the front seven. Keeanu Benton is finally being used on the end more and Yahya Black is taking his spot inside. New DL coach Domata Peko thinks Black can be one of the best nose tackles in the league, and there was an awful lot of nose tackle talk from the coaching staff as a whole.

T.J. Watt revealed that his lack of moving around was a product of his stubbornness, but that won’t be possible in the new system. Expect Watt, Alex Highsmith, and Nick Herbig to move interchangeably across the defensive front. And they all keep declining to reveal “all the secret sauce,” implying there will be some new wrinkles we are unaware of at this time.

Germie Bernard Is Just A Rookie?

Another offseason standout, Bernard may finally be able to break the Aaron Rodgers rookie curse. The veteran QB has high expectations for his receivers, and rookies have notoriously had a hard time living up to them. Good thing Bernard doesn’t look like a rookie.

“Bernard really carries himself like a pro,” the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette’s Ray Fittipaldo said on 93.7 The Fan’s PM Team. “Seems like he’s been doing this for forever.”

The Makai Lemon debacle left a bitter taste in fans’ mouths, but something tells me Bernard may replace that taste with something sweet.

Trading Places (OL Edition)

Steelers fans have PTSD from watching Kevin Dotson and Broderick Jones play out of their natural positions in Pittsburgh. Changing sides and flipping muscle memory matters, but perhaps not as much as we’ve all been conditioned into thinking it does. Veteran OL coach James Campen was quick to flip Troy Fautanu and Mason McCormick from right to left, keeping their chemistry intact in the process.

Other than Zach Frazier, Pittsburgh will have zero other starting offensive linemen playing where they did last season. The obvious long-term vision is for rookies Gennings Dunkers and Max Iheanachor to take over on the right side where they are most comfortable, but Spencer Anderson and Dylan Cook are getting the first looks.

How long will it take for the vision to come together, and will the line get a slow start because of all the change?

Money, Money, Money

Pittsburgh opened its wallet wide to create three new Mr. Moneybags in town. Nick Herbig got $100 million, Darnell Washington $42 million, and Chris Boswell reset the kicker market with $28 million. Extending all five candidates seemed unlikely just a month ago, but now it’s the most likely outcome. Surely Pittsburgh won’t let Joey Porter Jr. walk, even if he wants big-time money. And how expensive is Keeanu Benton compared to the others?

Check out the latest salary cap update from our Dave Bryan.

Roman Wilson Hype (The Trilogy)

Rarely are the second or third movies as good as the first in a trilogy. In Roman Wilson’s case, there is nowhere to go but up. After injuries robbed him of his rookie season, he disappointed in Year 2 and basically ended the year as a healthy scratch on game day.

The Wilson hype is building once again. He’s saying and doing all the right things, and the early look in OTAs is positive. But he impressed in his first two offseasons as well. Will this one stick and finally translate to the field? His most important test is earning Aaron Rodgers’ trust, and early reports indicate an improved chemistry between the two.

He has to hold off Bernard for the WR3 job, but that’s a great problem to have for the Steelers.

Back To The Basics

Drew Allar was drafted No. 76 overall for a reason, but that had little to do with the 2026 season. He’s like an old Chevy Nova sitting in your uncle’s garage—plenty of potential but a lot of work before it’s ready for the road. His arm talent is easy to get excited about, but does Pittsburgh have the right mechanic to build the fundamentals needed to make him a successful NFL quarterback?

Mike McCarthy wasted no time getting back to the basics as part of his QB school. The early Allar clips that surfaced weren’t great, but already there are signs of improvement. As long as that trend continues, Pittsburgh may have something long term.