Mike McCarthy’s arrival in Pittsburgh is already showing up in the Steelers’ offensive DNA, and the biggest shift so far is hard to miss: fewer tight ends, more receivers, and a clear move away from the heavy personnel that defined the last two seasons.
That’s a notable change for a team that leaned on tight end packages under Arthur Smith in 2024 and 2025. Back then, those looks fit the roster. Now, with McCarthy in charge, the preseason has pointed toward a much lighter approach - one that fits his history in Dallas and Green Bay.
The clearest sign comes from 13-personnel. Through two preseason games, Pittsburgh has used that alignment - one receiver, one running back and three tight ends - on just 1.5% of its offensive snaps, according to Pro Football Focus. Last season under Smith, the Steelers were in 13 personnel 13.5% of the time.
That’s not just a tweak. That’s a major drop.
The expectation now is that Pittsburgh will save 13 personnel for short-yardage and goal-line situations, and even then, only sparingly. It looks like a package that may show up once or twice a game at most.
The bigger question is what happens with 12 personnel, where the Steelers have also backed off. PFF noted that Pittsburgh has used two-tight-end sets on 14.6% of its offensive snaps this preseason, well below last year’s 29.5%.
PFF summed up the direction this way: "The returning Pat Freiermuth and Darnell Washington at tight end mean that McCarthy could amplify the team’s diminished 12 personnel rate in the regular season - which currently ranks 27th in the preseason. Yet McCarthy will likely stick to an 11 personnel-dominant bedrock as he looks to better Pittsburgh’s offense with his signature passing concepts."
That’s where things get interesting for Darnell Washington, who signed a big contract this offseason. He should still have a role, but the preseason usage raises the obvious question of how often Pittsburgh will actually feature him.
So far, the Steelers have had two more tight ends on the field for only 16.1% of their offensive snaps. In 2025, that number was 43.4%.
One possible answer is to keep Washington on the field in 11 personnel instead of Pat Freiermuth, but Freiermuth remains the better receiving option, especially against zone coverage.
It’s still early, and preseason usage can change once the games count. Even so, the early signs are pretty clear.
McCarthy wants to spread the field, live in shotgun and build around 11 personnel. That’s the direction of this offense now, and it looks a lot different from what Pittsburgh ran before.
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