The Steelers got through the 2026 preseason without a major injury scare, and that alone makes the summer look like a win on paper. But not every decision out of Mike McCarthy’s camp was easy to follow. A few of them left fans wondering why Pittsburgh handled certain players the way it did, especially with the regular season now right around the corner.
One of the clearest head-scratchers came in the preseason finale against the Buffalo Bills, when Roman Wilson was in street clothes. Some fans immediately wondered if something bigger was going on, but McCarthy made it clear Wilson simply had the night off.
That move sent a message that Wilson was being treated like a starter, even though his production hasn’t exactly screamed that label. Over his first two seasons, he had just 12 receptions on 21 targets, and his first two preseason games were quiet as well.
With reps at a premium, especially for a player still trying to prove himself, the decision to sit him while others were battling for roster spots stood out.
McCarthy also took a different tack with Jack Sawyer in that same finale. Sawyer logged 37 defensive snaps against the Bills, a hefty workload for a preseason game that didn’t carry much meaning.
The reasoning was understandable enough given Pittsburgh’s thin depth at outside linebacker all summer, and Sawyer is expected to be part of the edge rotation this year. Still, putting a rotational defender out there for that many snaps late in an exhibition game carried unnecessary risk.
If Sawyer had gone down, the Steelers would have been left with only three players at the position to open the season and no real practice-squad answer waiting in the wings.
Then there was Eli Heidenreich, who made the 53-man roster as the third and final running back after getting only 20 carries in the preseason. That number works out to about six and a half carries per game, which is not much time at all for a rookie trying to settle into a new role.
Heidenreich’s Navy background also matters here, since he spent more time as a fullback and slot receiver than as a traditional running back. With how new he is to the position, it would have made sense to give him a much bigger workload, especially once it became clear Pittsburgh planned to keep him.
The quarterback usage was even more curious. After Drew Allar flashed in his preseason debut against the Green Bay Packers, plenty of Steelers fans wanted to see him start against the Jets while Aaron Rodgers and Mason Rudolph sat.
Instead, McCarthy went with Will Howard, who had a rough first half with just 74 yards on 15 passes and two interceptions. That made the preseason finale against the Bills look like the perfect chance to give Allar a start.
It never happened. Howard got the nod again, and Allar didn’t enter until the second half, when the game had already turned into a deep-reserve showcase.
It may have been the last real opportunity for McCarthy to evaluate Allar in an organized game until next summer, which made the decision to keep him out of the starting role even more puzzling.
The biggest surprise of all may have been the one that never happened: Aaron Rodgers and the Steelers’ starting receivers never took a single preseason series. McCarthy had suggested Rodgers would see the field at some point during the exhibition slate, but that never came to pass. Rodgers, now 42, will have to open the season without any live reps alongside his new coaching staff and new top targets, Michael Pittman Jr. and Roman Wilson, who is expected to be a starter in three-receiver sets.
In Other News...
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D'Shawn Jamison did not stay on the market long after the Steelers moved on from him during final roster cuts. The cornerback, who has also spent time with the Panthers and 49ers, drew a workout from the Arizona Cardinals and quickly landed a practice-squad spot as teams continue sorting out depth in the secondary.
Arizonas interest makes sense with Will Johnson sidelined by a lower-body injury and five cornerbacks already on the active roster. For Pittsburgh, Jamisons quick landing is another reminder of how fluid the back end of the roster can be once cutdown day passes and teams start looking for experienced cover help. [Read more 🡒]
Steelers Quietly Added An Intriguing Edge Rusher To Watch
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A 2025 fifth-round pick by the Patriots, Swinson spent most of his rookie year on New Englands practice squad and got into three games. For a Steelers team that has long valued pass-rush depth and coaching up athletic defenders, he is the kind of low-risk addition worth monitoring as the season moves along. [Read more 🡒]
Tomlin Finally Revealed What Really Pushed Steelers To Trade Pickens
The Steelers did not move on from George Pickens just because they had a chance to reshuffle the wide receiver room. Mike Tomlin laid out the thinking behind the decision, saying Pittsburgh no longer saw Pickens as a fit for its long-term plans, especially when it came to the leadership expectations that come with a second contract. In that same explanation, Tomlin pointed to DK Metcalf as the kind of player the organization felt more comfortable building around after giving him a major extension.
Pickens time in Pittsburgh had plenty of talent but also enough friction to make the choice easier to understand in hindsight. The fines and on-field incidents that followed him through his Steelers tenure were part of the backdrop, and Tomlins comments made clear those issues mattered when the team weighed what it wanted next at the position. The larger question now is how far Pittsburgh was willing to go to draw that line, and what it says about the standard the front office wants to keep enforcing. [Read more 🡒]