The Pittsburgh Steelers have leaned hard on veterans under general manager Omar Khan, and that approach is starting to show up in the wrong kind of way. Over the last three seasons, Khan has added a long list of older players to help fill out the roster, including Jalen Ramsey, Marquez Valdes-Scantling, Jonnu Smith, and Asante Samuel Jr.
Those moves have mostly come at a relatively low cost, but they also underline a bigger issue: the Steelers do not have much young, elite talent in place. Pittsburgh has only three players left on its roster from the 2019, 2020, 2021, and 2022 drafts combined, which is a thin return across four classes. The 2023 and 2024 drafts have helped patch some holes, but the team is still waiting for those younger pieces to become difference-makers.
The lack of top-end youth stands out even more when you look at the recent draft record. The Steelers have not drafted an All-Pro since 2017, and during that same span they have produced only two Pro Bowl players, Najee Harris and Diontae Johnson. That leaves the roster light on young, high-end talent, especially when stacked against other AFC teams.
That reality showed up in Bill Barnwell’s recent ranking of every team’s under-25 talent heading into the 2026 season. Pittsburgh landed at No. 28, near the bottom of the league. Barnwell pointed to a few younger names who could matter, writing:
“Much of the Steelers' offensive line just turned 25, but first-round rookie Max Iheanachor is 22 and third-round selection Gennings Dunker is 23. Third-round quarterback Drew Allar is 22.
Second-round wide receiver Germie Bernard will turn 23 in December and will probably be starting in the slot this season. New return man Kaden Wetjen is 24.
On defense, edge rusher Nick Herbig, who led the NFL in pass rush win rate (26.3%) last season, will be 25 in November.”
There are some young players in the mix, but several of them are already close to aging out of this kind of list. Troy Fautanu and Zach Frazier no longer qualify because they recently turned 25, which only sharpens the point about where the roster stands.
Misses on players such as Broderick Jones, Kenny Pickett, and Najee Harris have left the Steelers with less young foundation than they would like. The hope now is that players like Iheanachor and Bernard can become part of the next wave.
Pittsburgh enters the 2026 season with one of the NFL’s oldest rosters, and that makes the need for younger contributors even more urgent. If the Steelers want to stay in the playoff picture and eventually build something that lasts in the AFC, they need more players on rookie deals to grow into real building blocks.
In Other News...
These Steelers Camp Battles Could Change More Than Fans Realize
Training camp always has a way of turning the back end of a roster into the most interesting part of the building, and this Steelers group has a handful of players with real room to change their fortunes. Max Iheanachor, Jacoby Windmon, Eli Heidenreich, Robert Spears-Jennings and Roman Wilson all have something to play for, whether it is a clearer path to the roster, a better spot on the depth chart or simply a longer look from the coaching staff.
The appeal here is not just individual survival, but what happens if one of these players forces the issue. Iheanachor can make the tackle picture more competitive, Windmon is trying to turn a late-offseason opportunity into a lasting one, and the two seventh-rounders are working in spots where every rep matters. Wilson adds another layer because his camp will be watched closely as Pittsburgh sorts out how much value he can provide right away. [Read more 🡒]
Kenny Pickett Just Gave Steelers Fans Another Painful Quarterback Reminder
Kenny Picketts latest stop has only added to the uneasy feeling Steelers fans know too well when his name comes up. The former first-round quarterback, now expected to be a backup with the Panthers, is trying to carve out a new role after multiple trades since leaving Pittsburgh, and his first 11-on-11 series at Carolina training camp did not exactly calm the noise around him.
Pickett was sacked twice and fumbled after tripping, a rough opening sequence that only reinforces how far his path has drifted from the one the Steelers imagined when they drafted him. Pittsburgh, meanwhile, has moved on to other young quarterback possibilities and is still weighing its long-term options, including the possibility of another early-round swing when the right one comes along. [Read more 🡒]
Steelers Fans Still Havent Forgotten These Painful Departures
Some departures linger longer than others in Pittsburgh, and the Steelers have had their share of painful ones. Rod Woodson was one of the great defensive backs of his era, Mike Wallace gave the offense a true vertical threat, and Javon Hargrave developed into the kind of interior force teams spend years trying to find. Each left with a different backstory, but all three became reminders that the Steelers have not always been able to keep the right talent in house for as long as they would have liked.
Wallaces rise came before he was eventually pushed down the receiver pecking order by Emmanuel Sanders and Antonio Brown, while Hargrave kept climbing after his exit and turned himself into a player with real league-wide recognition. Woodsons post-Pittsburgh path carried its own sting for fans who remember how much he meant here, and his later success only sharpened the sense of what was lost. For a franchise that has spent years looking for stability at key spots, these are the kinds of exits that still get revisited whenever the Steelers are trying to solve the next roster problem. [Read more 🡒]