Omar Khan made a couple of key additions to the Steelers offense this offseason. He added Michael Pittman, and Rico Dowdle in free agency and trades. Khan then invested his first two draft picks in the draft in Max Iheanachor and Germie Bernard. The question now becomes does this make the Steelers offense significantly better in 2026? Let’s break it down position by position:
Quarterback: Down
2025 – Aaron Rodgers, Mason Rudolph, Will Howard
2026 – Aaron Rodgers, Mason Rudolph, Will Howard, Drew Allar
The Steelers seemed hell bent on running it back with Aaron Rodgers despite his very mediocre season in 2025. Not to mention his horrendous performance in the playoff game versus Houston. Another year older, and even less willing to take a hit, it is very likely Rodgers won’t even be able to match what he did last season. Rodgers had one of the quickest time to throw, and the shortest air yards per completion in the league last season. He no longer has his safety blanket in Kenneth Gainwell who he depended on greatly last season. The coaching should be better, and the wide receivers have improved. Overall though, the quarterback position is a net negative from last season.
Running Back: Push
2025 – Jaylen Warren, Kenneth Gainwell, Kaleb Johnson
2026 – Jaylen Warren, Rico Dowdle, TBD
The Steelers swapped out Kenneth Gainwell for Rico Dowdle. Dowdle is a better pure runner, but is nowhere near as good a pass catcher. You can make the argument that Dowdle is the better overall player, therefore the running back room is better. How this affects Aaron Rodgers could be significant however. Kenneth Gainwell was as important to Rodgers success as anyone on the team last season. How Rodgers copes without his favorite safety valve will go a long way in determining whether or not this room was improved or not in 2026.
Wide Receiver: Up
2025 – DK Metcalf, Calvin Austin III, Roman Wilson
2026 – DK Metcalf, Michael Pittman, Germie Bernard
Honestly, this group had absolutely nowhere to go but up in 2026. Omar Khan could deservedly have been fired for rolling out such a pathetic collection of wide receivers in this era of football . Only DK Metcalf had more than 400 yards receiving, and only two receivers had more 200 yards. Just adding Micheal Pittman alone is a more upgrade. Good thing too, because that’s basically all the Steelers did to improve the room in the short term. In theory, Germie Bernard could be an upgrade over Calvin Austin. But given Aaron Rodgers aversion to rookies, do we really expect Bernard to eclipse Austin’s 372 and 3? The odds are against that.
Tight End: Push
2025 – Pat Freiermuth, Jonnu Smith, Darnell Washington
2026 – Pat Freiermuth, Darnell Washington, JJ Galbreath
The Steelers did not get a whole lot out of Jonnu Smith last season, but can we really expect more out of JJ Galbreath.? Maybe the combination of him, and rookie Riley Nowakoski could eke out more than the 222 yards Smith had last season…..maybe.
Offensive Line: Down
2025 – Broderick Jones, Isaac Suemalo, Zach Frazier, Mason McCormick, Troy Fuatanu
2026 – Troy Fautanu, Mason McCormick, Zach Frazier, Spencer Anderson, Max Iheanachor
We still have no idea how this offensive line will line up come week one. Early on the Steelers have Fautanu and McCormick moving from right to left, and Dylan Cook moving to right tackle. All that moving around is a concern all on its own. Whichever player they choose to replace Isaac Seumalo at guard is a downgrade. Spencer Anderson is best used as an emergency Swiss army knife, not a starting guard. Gennings Dunker may someday be a pretty good guard, but not anytime in 2026. The tackle position is filled with serious question marks. How will Fautanu adjust to moving back to the left side? Can Dylan Cook play right tackle, or do they go with the rookie Max Iheanachor? Where does Broderick Jones fit in all this? Long term this offensive line undoubtedly got better. Short term there will be lots of growing pains in 2026.
Coaching: Up
2025 – Mike Tomlin, Arthur Smith
2026 – Mike McCarthy, Brian Angelichio
This is where the Steelers offense might get its biggest boost. Mike McCarthy is a renowned offensive coach in the NFL, while Mike Tomlin is well….. Mike Tomlin. McCarthy will bring a bonafide NFL offense to the Pittsburgh Steelers for the first time in five years or more. The coordinators are a push if we’re being honest. Angelichio has never been a coordinator before despite being in the league for several seasons. He’s nothing special, just here to help run Mike McCarthy’s offense. For all the heat that Arthur Smith got here, he was running a dumbed down Mike Tomlin version of his offense with very limited talent. All in all this is a major upgrade over last season in terms of coaching on offense.