4 Downs with Rich: the Pittsburgh Steelers’ Biggest Questions Heading into the ‘26 NFL Season

Nineteen years of one way of doing things ended with a one-and-done against Houston, and now Pittsburgh has to answer a question it has not had to ask in nearly two decades. What do the post-Mike Tomlin Steelers actually look like?

Everything else about this season branches off that. Rich caught plenty of grief from Steelers fans for defending Tomlin, who is now at NBC, and the replacement decision is the fascinating part. Pittsburgh's history says you hire the young coordinator who has never done it and let him run for two decades. Chuck Noll was that guy. Bill Cowher was that guy. Tomlin was that guy. Instead they hired Mike McCarthy, who has done it twice.

McCarthy is a Western Pennsylvania kid who took tolls and swept floors in a family establishment, and he can now say he has coached the Packers, the Cowboys and the Steelers. He also beat the Steelers in a Super Bowl with Aaron Rodgers, which makes the reunion in Pittsburgh absurd in the best way. Rodgers decided not to retire in part because of McCarthy.

Hiring an established coach also takes the culture-change conversation off the table. McCarthy is not arriving to discover the Pittsburgh way. He has a system, proven at two blue bloods, and he is going to install it.

Second down is the one that decides the season. Can this offense be explosive?

The evidence says not yet. Chris supplied the number that stings: an 11 percent explosive play rate on drop-back passes last season, 26th in the league. That is not an arm problem. Rodgers still delivers zingers and gashed defenses finding Pat Freiermuth. The closest thing Pittsburgh had to an explosive player was Kenneth Gainwell, who is gone.

So the answers have to come from somewhere. Michael Pittman arrives from Indianapolis and looks like a genuinely smart addition. DK Metcalf has to be more than 59 catches, 850 yards and six touchdowns for the money he is being paid, and Chris volunteered that his best days look behind him. Rich pushed back, correctly noting Metcalf is only 28 and pointing to the game in Europe where he took one to the house. Roman Wilson, J.J. McCarthy's top target on Michigan's national championship team, needs to spark something too.

Third down asks how quickly this defense can return to Steel Curtain form. Patrick Graham is the new coordinator after four years with the Raiders. Jamel Dean comes to the back end off a strong Tampa season, Jaquan Brisker adds a safety, Sebastian Joseph-Day reinforces the line. T.J. Watt is still there. Cameron Heyward, as Rich put it, is back for year 93 and still dominant. Joey Porter Jr. and Patrick Queen can hunt. The caveats are age and health, and both matter.

Fourth down is the blunt one. How much does Rodgers have left?

The history is not exactly encouraging, because the history is one man. There have been three instances of a quarterback age 43 or older attempting at least 100 passes with a passer rating over 70, and all three belong to Tom Brady. Rodgers did become just the fifth quarterback at 42 or beyond to throw 100 passes with a rating above 76.5, so the business got handled.

He is not running like he used to. The ball still leaves that arm the same way.

Give him a run game, and this roster is not empty. Jaylen Warren gashes people occasionally, Rico Dowdle was a nice add, and the rookie back out of Iowa needs to give them something. Then find out what happens in January.