As the Steelers get ready for the 2026 campaign, the franchise is still carrying the weight of a few exits that never quite made sense in hindsight. Pittsburgh has built its identity on stars, championships and Hall of Fame talent, but there have also been some painful departures - the kind that make you wonder what might have happened if the team had held on just a little longer.
Rod Woodson sits near the top of that list. One of the most electric defensive backs the league has ever seen, he spent a decade as a shutdown cornerback in Pittsburgh before reaching unrestricted free agency in 1997.
At the time, he was coming back from a major Achilles tendon injury, and the Steelers moved on. What followed was a reminder of just how much talent they had let slip away.
After a year in San Francisco, Woodson signed with the rival Baltimore Ravens, shifted to safety full time, and helped them win Super Bowl XXV over the New York Giants.
Pittsburgh would not find its next generational defensive back until a decade later, when Troy Polamalu arrived and helped stabilize the defense on the way to two Super Bowls.
Mike Wallace is another name that still belongs in this conversation. A third-round pick in 2009, he helped usher in a new chapter for Steelers receivers and put together his best NFL seasons in Pittsburgh.
His 2009 season included more than 1,200 receiving yards. But the depth chart eventually squeezed him out, with Emmanuel Sanders and Antonio Brown moving ahead of him.
The Steelers ended up in a better spot overall, but Wallace’s speed as a deep threat would have fit beautifully alongside the offense during Brown’s rise.
Then there’s Javon Hargrave, the answer to a question Steelers fans have been asking for years: “The Steelers need a nose tackle?” Since Casey Hampton, no one had come especially close to filling that role the same way until Hargrave.
After his final season in Pittsburgh in 2019, he only got better. He has since made two Pro Bowls and won a Super Bowl, while the Steelers are still looking for a long-term answer in the middle of the defensive line.
In Other News...
These Steelers Camp Battles Could Change More Than Fans Realize
Training camp has a way of turning roster filler into real conversation pieces, and this Steelers group has a few names worth watching for exactly that reason. Max Iheanachor, Jacoby Windmon, Eli Heidenreich and Robert Spears-Jennings all enter camp with different paths, but the same basic challenge: prove they can do enough in a crowded, unforgiving setting to force the coaching staff to keep them in the mix. For Pittsburgh, those are the kinds of battles that can quietly shape not just the back end of the roster, but the depth the team leans on once the season starts.
Roman Wilson adds another layer to that picture because his camp will be judged on more than flashes alone. The Steelers have reasons to believe there is something there, but the margin for error is thin for a player trying to carve out his place in a competitive receiver room. If he can separate himself, it changes the conversation around how Pittsburgh fills out that position group, and it could make the rest of these camp decisions look even more significant. [Read more 🡒]
Steelers Forgot About Cole Holcomb At The Worst Possible Time
Cole Holcombs path back into the Steelers linebacker picture has already been one of the quieter comeback stories on the roster. After missing the entire 2024 season with a severe knee injury, he returned in 2025 and got into 14 games, showing enough against the run to remind the team why it brought him in on a two-year, $5 million deal in the first place. With a new defensive coordinator in Patrick Graham, Holcombs steadiness and experience suddenly look a lot more relevant than they did a year ago.
The bigger question now is how that translates once the Steelers start sorting out their linebacker rotation for 2026. Patrick Queen and Payton Wilson are still part of the conversation, but Holcombs play last season gave him a real case for more snaps if the new scheme rewards reliability and physicality. He may not need a dramatic leap to matter, just a clearer path and a staff willing to lean into what he already does well. [Read more 🡒]