It’s been an eventful offseason in the AFC North. The Ravens moved on from long-time head coach John Harbaugh, drafted the player many Steelers fans had their hearts set on, and declared take-backsies while showing questionable ethics as they backed out of a blockbuster trade. The Bengals tried to revamp their defense in a bid to return to the playoffs. The Browns have hit the reset button yet again. And, of course, the Steelers are setting out with a new head coach of their own and several key additions on both sides of the ball. This week, Joey and Ryan discuss all the moving and shaking that’s gone on in the AFC North, and try to make sense of the state of each franchise. Which team will win the AFC North this year? Which team made the best moves this offseason? Let us know in the comments! Enjoy the episode? Be sure to check out Joey and Ryan’s channel Trust the Board for more NFL and NFL Draft discussions. Be sure to bookmark Behind the Steel Curtain for all the latest news, breakdowns, and more! Steelers training camp: Offensive position battles, storylines to follow PFF ranks DK Metcalf outside of top 25 WRs Former Steelers QB Kenny Pickett ‘begged’ Eagles to trade him Steelers WR Roman Wilson listed as player with most on the line in 2026 Steelers’ Mason McCormick named to PFF’s 2026 All-Breakout team
After a tumultuous first season in black and gold, it’s fair to wonder if the Steelers are having any second thoughts about the trade they made to acquire DK Metcalf last March. Pittsburgh sent a second-round pick to the Seattle Seahawks for the receiver, who they immediately handed a 4-year 132 million dollar extension. While Seattle went on to win the Super Bowl, Pittsburgh suffered another first-round exit, with Metcalf posting under 1,000 yards in his first season with the franchise. Pro Football Focus ranked NFL wide receivers entering 2026 , with Metcalf coming in at number 26. “In his first season with Pittsburgh, Metcalf led the Steelers with 850 receiving yards and six receiving touchdowns.,” Wasserman and Chadwick wrote . “His 1.83 yards per route run ranked among the top 30 qualified wide receivers despite posting a career-low 11.3-yard average depth of target because of Aaron Rodgers ‘ conservative tendencies. The additions of Michael Pittman Jr. and rookie Germie Bernard should help alleviate some of the pressure on Metcalf to carry the Steelers’ passing game.” This ranking of Metcalf seems to be the consensus on him entering his second season with Pittsburgh. Jarrett Bailey and I tackled where we believe Metcalf sits among NFL wide receivers just a few weeks ago. The Steelers wide receiver one is in a similar range in both of our rankings, as compared to the PFF list. As the article mentioned, things are looking up for Metcalf in 2026. He will have another offseason with Aaron Rodgers under his belt, with some added weapons to the wide receiver room that should mean defenses won’t be able to key in on Metcalf as much as they were last year. Mike McCarthy’s offense is also traditionally much more pass-heavy and sees multiple receivers on the field at a time. Things are looking up for Metcalf as the Steelers enter one of the most pivotal seasons in recent memory. et us know what you think in the comments . Be sure to bookmark Behind the Steel Curtain for all the latest news, breakdowns, and more! Former Steelers QB Kenny Pickett ‘begged’ Eagles to trade him Ben Roethlisberger says Steelers should release Mason Rudolph Steelers’ Mike McCarthy named coach on hot seat in 2026 Former Steelers safety Ryan Clark releases statement following ESPN firing Steelers WR Roman Wilson listed as player with most on the line in 2026
Las week, Pittsburgh Steelers quarterback Aaron Rodgers took to Instagram to post photos from a retreat he led with several teammates. DK Metcalf, Michael Pittman, Pat Freiermuth, Ben Skowronek, Mason Rudolph, and Roman Wilson went on a trip to Wyoming, per one of the photos being taken at Jackson Hole. Now, Rodgers has given everyone a rare glimpse into his personal life. On Monday evening, the Steelers' quarterback posted photos with his mother Darla, father Ed, and brother Luke with the caption, "Another bonding week." Rodgers was infamously estranged from his family for north of a decade, as it was revealed by his brother Jordan that the Super Bowl-winning quarterback didn't speak to the rest of the family in 2016 while Jordan was competing on The Bachelorette. "It's just the way he's chosen to do life," Jordan said . "I chose to stay close with my family and my parents and my brother [Luke]." While Rodgers cited his parent's strict religious beliefs as the main reason for the falling out, it appears that the bridge has been rebuilt. Let us know what you think in the comments . Be sure to bookmark Behind the Steel Curtain for all the latest news, breakdowns, and more! Former Steelers RB Le'Veon Bell arrested in Ohio Top 30 greatest Pittsburgh Steelers of all time: No. 20-11 Steelers' Mason McCormick named to PFF's 2026 All-Breakout team Jon Gruden urges Steelers to put their faith in Mike McCarthy Learning the Mike McCarthy offense: What is the West Coast offense?
While he fell short of the sticks, Indianapolis Colts wide receiver Alec Pierce did receive votes for being among the NFL’s Top 10 wideouts in an annual league survey conducted by NFL general managers, executives, and coaches ( via ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler ): Also receiving votes: Alec Pierce, Tee Higgins , DK Metcalf , Terry McLaurin , Garrett Wilson , DeVonta Smith , Ladd McConkey , Brian Thomas Jr. , Jaylen Waddle , Chris Olave The Colts lead wideout was re-signed to a once historic 4-year, $116 million salary earlier this offseason after recording 47 receptions for 1,003 total receiving yards and 6 touchdown receptions this past season. His 21.3 yards per reception average led the league for a consecutive campaign. Pierce is currently recovering from an offseason surgery on his ankle, but the expectation is that he could be ready during the second half of team training camp after an initial 4-6 month timetable for his return. While he remains arguably the league’s premier deep threat, with his ability to separate vertically, high point the football with body control, and make contested, acrobatic catches, Pierce has only continued to improve regarding refining his route tree and becoming a more complete pass catcher collectively. He’ll need to continue to make strides in that regard if he wants to be considered among the league’s Top 10 players at his position. The Colts will assuredly be counting on him for a more volume heavy role next season, especially in light of the departure of longtime veteran wideout Michael Pittman Jr. opposite him
The Chargers have not had top-tier wide receiver play in a number of years but they got a view of a bright future when Ladd McConkey recorded 1,149 yards on 82 receptions to set team rookie records in both categories. Unfortunately year two did not live up to the same hype as the Chargers re-signed Keenan Allen during the offseason which directly ate into McConkey’s potential workload. By the end of the 2025 campaign, McConkey still led the Chargers in receiving yards, but his total of 789 was still quite the drop-off from his rookie total. Fortunately, it looks like those around the league still remember how impactful he was as a rookie. In ESPN’s latest positional rankings, McConkey still managed to make the “received votes” category where he was joined by other receivers such as Alec Pierce , Tee Higgins , Jaylen Waddle , and D.K. Metcalf. Some of these other names in the group just received massive contracts within the past two offseasons which speaks to the talent and depth of the position in the current NFL. Entering the 2026 season, the Chargers have not re-signed Keenan Allen for another year and McConkey is squarely in position to be the team’s WR1, on top of now playing in an offense that should get the absolute most out of him under Mike McDaniel. A year from now, when the folks at ESPN roll these rankings out again, I would not be surprised to see McConkey make a big jump up their consensus. If he can top any of the numbers he put up as a rookie, or better yet ALL of them in 2026, dare I say he could sneak into the top 10? That may be a bit rich, but crazier things have happened, right?
The Steelers head into the 2026 season with higher hopes for their receiving corps. DK Metcalf caught 59 passes last season, but the rest of the group only had 77 and the 136 total receptions ranked 31st among receiving groups for the 2025 campaign. The Steelers addressed that shortcoming by trading for Michael Pittman Jr. and drafting two wideouts — second-rounder Germie Bernard and fourth-rounder Kaden Wetjen — in April. New head coach Mike McCarthy isn’t counting out another returning member of the group, however. 2024 third-rounder Roman Wilson played just one game as a rookie and had 12 catches in 13 appearances last season, but McCarthy said that he liked how Wilson approached the offseason. “He’s been here from Day 1,” McCarthy said, via Brooke Pryor of ESPN.com. “He was one of the first men to reach out and clearly ask what the expectation was of him, how I view him, how I saw him fitting in as the roles X, F and Z. He’s doing the work. He’s had a great offseason. I just need him to keep showing up and keep working his tail off because he’s got a skill set, there’s a lot there to work with. Roman’s done a really nice job.” Metcalf and Pittman are going to be the top wideouts to kick off the season in Pittsburgh, but Wilson could find his way into a bigger role if his offseason work continues into training camp and leads to a strong bond with Aaron Rodgers
The Pittsburgh Steelers’ receiving corps is a group that has been ridiculed over the last pair of seasons, and rightfully so. While they’ve had a legitimate No. 1 in each of those seasons in George Pickens and DK Metcalf, the depth behind them (or lack thereof) has been among the worst in the NFL in each year. The likes of Scotty Miller , Van Jefferson , Allen Robinson , Calvin Austin , Marquez Valdes-Scantling , and Adam Thielen were the names expected to be legitimate options in that span. However, the Steelers added Michael Pittman Jr. via trade with the Indianapolis Colts and Germie Bernard in the second round of the 2026 NFL Draft. Joining me on the latest episode of The Pump Fake , former Steelers offensive coordinator Todd Haley said that Pittman is the most important addition of the offseason for Pittsburgh. “Michael Pittman is a solid 1B, 2A – however you want to look at it,” Haley said. “He’s experienced, he understands how to play. I’m sure he and Aaron will get on the same page very quickly… I think the addition of Pittman is the most important addition for the Steelers offense” Haley also noted that if Germie Bernard can come along quickly, Pittsburgh could end up having a trio similar to the one he had as offensive coordinator with the Arizona Cardinals in 2008 with Larry Fitzgerald , Anquan Boldin , and Steve Breaston when Arizona made it to the Super Bowl. “With Bernard, he’s a key component,” Haley said. “How quickly can he come along? It’s hard as a young receiver to just show up and all of a sudden play against NFL coverages and defenses. So [their additions] are huge. When you have just one [receiver], it’s nice, but defenses can take one away. But when you have two, and maybe three, that’s what we had the benefit of having in Arizona. We not only had a great quarterback that understood where to put the football, and did it accurately, we had [the question] of who are you going to add extra coverage to? Larry Fitzgerald? Anquan Boldin? And if you do that, Steve Breaston was obviously fast enough to hurt you pretty quickly.” Fitzgerald, Boldin, and Breaston are one of just five trios in NFL history to all have 1,000 yards in a season, and the last trio to do it back in that 2008 season. And while it would be unfair to expect the current Steelers’ trio to replicate that, the offense would do serious damage if they can come anywhere close to Arizona’s high-flying offense that faced Pittsburgh in Super Bowl XLIII. Let us know what you think in the comments . Be sure to bookmark Behind the Steel Curtain for all the latest news, breakdowns, and more! Aaron Rodgers leads Steelers teammates on ‘last rodeo’ retreat Pittsburgh Steelers top 10 players ahead of 2026 season Former Steelers CB Joe Haden says Mike Tomlin lacked accountability Steelers Super Bowl champion passes away Steelers defender named biggest bust of 2026
The Pittsburgh Steelers report for training camp in just over two weeks. After a busy offseason that featured several additions on both sides of the ball, as well as a head coach change for the first time in 19 years, there is a level of excitement and uncertainty the organization hasn’t had in quite some time. Ahead of players reporting to St. Vincent College, quarterback Aaron Rodgers led a retreat with several of his offensive teammates. Rodgers, DK Metcalf , Michael Pittman , Pat Freiermuth , Roman Wilson , Ben Skowronek , and Mason Rudolph all featured in photos posted to Rodgers’ Instagram partaking in activities such as horseback riding and paddle boarding. A photo also featured Pittman and Skowronek dressed in bee-keeper’s outfits. Rodgers captioned the post, “Last rodeo.” Rodgers led a similar get-together with teammates last year, welcoming them to his Malibu home for team bonding. Let us know what you think in the comments . Be sure to bookmark Behind the Steel Curtain for all the latest news, breakdowns, and more! Pittsburgh Steelers top 10 players ahead of 2026 season Former Steelers CB Joe Haden says Mike Tomlin lacked accountability Steelers Super Bowl champion passes away Steelers defender named biggest bust of 2026 ESPN analyst says Steelers’ Zach Frazier could become NFL’s best center
Aaron Rodgers is holding a 'bonding week' with six Steelers teammates, including Michael Pittman Jr., Ben Skowronek, Roman Wilston, Mason Rudolph, DK Metcalf, and Pat Freiermuth, ahead of his declared 'last rodeo' season in 2026. The gathering included outdoor activities and cowboy-themed elements
Aaron Rodgers, indicating his likely final NFL season, hosted six teammates (Michael Pittman Jr., Ben Skowronek, Roman Wilston, Mason Rudolph, DK Metcalf, and Pat Freiermuth) for a "bonding week" in a rustic, outdoor setting, emphasizing his "last rodeo" theme
Our countdown of the 10 best plays of the Green Bay Packers ’ 2025 season continues with a pivotal play in the Packers’ eventual comeback victory in Pittsburgh . To watch the play, please click here . The Packers entered the game in good shape with a 4-1-1 record and as healthy as they would be all year . They would be facing old friend Aaron Rodgers , leading the 4-2 Pittsburgh Steelers , along with their signature solid defense, and shiny new toy DK Metcalf . After their early loss to the Browns, the offense had been humming, putting 40 on the Cowboys and 27 each on the Bengals and Cardinals, but those defenses were among the worst in the league. The Steelers would go on to win their division, and here they presented a difficult challenge as their most balanced opponent to date. This was also Christian Watson ’s first game of the season, and ended up being the only game in 2025 that the Packers had both Watson and Tucker Kraft available for a full 60 minutes. While the final score may look a bit lopsided, the Steelers took control early, drawing first blood with a ridiculous 56-yard field goal from Chris Boswell . The Packers would respond immediately with a long drive culminating in a brilliant 16-yard touchdown to Tucker Kraft, his first of the day, but the next few Packer drives would stall out due to a combination of ineffective Josh Jacobs runs (13 carries for just 33 yards on the day), especially on second-and-long. After Brandon McManus missed a 57-yard field goal to start the second quarter, the Steelers would leverage that field position into a successful 50-yarder from Boswell. After a three-and-out, they would add another 48-yarder from Boswell, and after yet another three-and-out, Rodgers and the Steelers finally hit paydirt, as the old-timer connected with DK Metcalf on a two-yard touchdown to give the Steelers a two-score lead. To make matters worse, Pittsburgh was due to receive the ball to start the second half, and after Brandon McManus missed yet another field goal, this time a 44-yarder as the first half expired, the game was in danger of getting away from Green Bay Fortunately, the Packer defense held strong, forcing a three-and-out to open the second half, but a huge punt from Corliss Waitman and a penalty on Javon Bullard pushed the first Packer drive back to the ten-yard line. On first down, Josh Jacobs was once again stuffed for no gain, and after a short throw to Luke Musgrave , the Packers were facing third-and-five at their own fifteen, trailing by nine points. It was not looking great! Tucker Kraft is great though, and it’s a good thing because he’s the main reason this play worked at all. On first watch I thought it was a complete disaster, and just a great individual effort from Kraft, but that’s not the entire story. While Pittsburgh’s pressure was effective and Love’s throw was impacted, Kraft was the correct read for a hot route, and as we learned many times in the first half of 2025, when Tucker Kraft is in single coverage, Tucker Kraft is open. The Packers lined up with Jordan Love in shotgun flanked to his left by Josh Jacobs. It’s a tight formation with Romeo Doubs slot left, and a bunch formation of Savion Williams , Matthew Golden , and our hero slot right, with Williams at the head of the triangle up on the line, Golden outside, and Kraft inside. The Steelers are showing blitz, and they bring it at the snap, with six men overwhelming Love’s protection. Zach Tom barely manages to fend off TJ Watt , while linebacker Patrick Queen bursts through the middle, depositing Elgton Jenkins on his rear end and blowing by an ineffective Jacobs, hitting Love as he throws. Because the Steelers are blitzing, they’re left with five men in coverage to deal with four Packers. Doubs runs a 15-yard in route that I suspect was intended as a double move deep shot if the Steelers had backed out of their blitz. He’s covered by Joey Porter, Jr. As it stands, the route looks incredibly awkward as Savi
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2025 was a less-than-ideal year for former Pittsburgh Steelers running back Najee Harris. After signing with the Los Angeles Chargers , a fireworks accident left him with an injured eye. Then, just three games into the season, Harris tore his Achilles, ending his season after taking just 15 carries. This also marked the first time the former first-round pick would miss any game in his career. Harris remains a free agent, as his deal with the Chargers was just for one year. In a recent piece for Bleacher Report , Moe Moton labeled the Green Bay Packers and Cincinnati Bengals as potential suitors for the former Steelers running back. “On the back end of his prime years, Harris can still be an early-down contributor in a running back duo or platoon,” Moton writes. “He’s not an explosive rusher, but his 6’1″, 242-pound frame can be featured in short-yardage and goal-line situations. Keep in mind that Harris racked up 1,000-plus yards on the ground in four consecutive terms with the Steelers before his injury-shortened term with the Chargers.“ Harris had four straight 1,000-yard seasons with the Steelers from 2021-24, totaling 28 rushing touchdowns and an additional six receiving touchdowns on 183 receptions. He ranks sixth in Steelers franchise history in rushing yards and rushing touchdowns. He is one touchdown behind Rashard Mendenhall and surprisingly four touchdowns ahead of Willie Parker . Let us know what you think in the comments . Be sure to bookmark Behind the Steel Curtain for all the latest news, breakdowns, and more! Pittsburgh Steelers 2026 53-man roster projection Steelers could add former Bills, Cowboys wide receivers with ties to current staff Top 100 RBs of all-time list features four Steelers: Jerome Bettis left out of top 20 Steelers WR DK Metcalf vs. the NFL’s best: Does he belong in the top 25? Steelers reporter predicts Pittsburgh will cut Will Howard
The Steelers are projecting their 2026 53-man roster, with Will Howard seemingly set to be QB2 behind Aaron Rodgers, potentially leading to a trade of Mason Rudolph. The running back room will likely feature Dowdle and Warren as the top two, with Travis Homer securing a spot due to special teams ability. At wide receiver, Metcalf, Pittman, Bernard, Skowronek, and Wetjen are considered safe, with competition for the WR4 spot between Roman Wilson and Noah Brown, and Curtis Samuel also a possibility
While the run game has seen a resurgence in both volume and efficiency in recent seasons, the NFL remains, at its heart, a passing league in the modern era. Because it is a passing league, the value of both quarterbacks and pass catchers keeps increasing. We've seen it in recent years, with an explosion in wide receiver salaries, with superstars topping $40 million in average annual value. A superstar wideout can tilt the field in the offense's favor through both his production and the attention he draws, and that has never been more valuable. But what's more valuable than one star wideout? Well, two star wideouts, obviously. With that in mind, we here at CBS Sports decided to take a look at the top wide receiver duos in the NFL. There are plenty of dual-star duos, as well as some buoyed by one mega-star who teams with another quality player to form an elite pairing. Right now, we think there is a clear-cut top two, another tier of three and then another tier of three after that. That gives us a clear-cut top eight, with the rest of the league filling in behind. In the space below, we're going to rank those top eight duos. But before we do, we also wanted to include some honorable mentions. Honorable(-ish) Mentions: Mike Evans and Ricky Pearsall ( 49ers ), Rome Odunze and Luther Burden III ( Bears ), DJ Moore and Khalil Shakir ( Bills ), Emeka Egbuka and Chris Godwin ( Buccaneers ), Alec Pierce and Josh Downs ( Colts ), DeVonta Smith and Makai Lemon ( Eagles ), Brian Thomas Jr . and Jakobi Meyers ( Jaguars ), Christian Watson and Jayden Reed ( Packers ), Chris Olave and Jordyn Tyson ( Saints ), DK Metcalf and Michael Pittman Jr. ( Steelers ) This Seahawks pairing would be higher on the list if we had confidence in which of Shaheed or Cooper Kupp would actually be the No. 2 wide receiver, and that they would be able to consolidate that role while the other would slide further into the background. As it stands, it's more of a target vacuum in JSN, with a couple of guys competing for second-string targets among a host of tight ends and running backs. JSN is coming off one of the better receiver seasons in recent memory, though, so he alone is enough to power the Seahawks into the top 10 of these rankings. And I could easily see them ranking much higher next year, if Shaheed consolidates the role behind him. We've got another new duo on tap here, with both players new to New England this offseason. AJB is one of the small handful of best receivers in football when he is right, but he's also coming off a relatively down season (he averaged his fewest yards per game since 2021) and turned 29 years old June 30, so we don't know if he'll be able to be at his best. Doubs, meanwhile, has always been a bit of a better player than his numbers suggest, because he's always been in such a crowded receiver room. These two guys should give Drake Maye a duo that can really win in the intermediate areas of the field, and Brown, if he rebounds, can win both short and long and create a ton of yardage after the catch. This is yet another new duo, but it could be very exciting. Waddle remains a big-play threat both on deep passes and in terms of creating yardage with the ball in his hands due to his speed. Sutton works best as an isolated X receiver on the outside. The duo gives Bo Nix a pair of wideouts who challenge defenses in markedly different ways, but who can work a lot of the same areas of the field nonetheless. Sean Payton and Davis Webb should have a lot of fun scheming them into position to succeed. Jefferson is coming off what qualifies as a down season for him, with "only" 84 catches for 1,048 yards and two scores. Addison missed time again and caught 42 passes for 610 yards and three touchdowns. They were both hamstrung by the quarterback play of J.J. McCarthy , Carson Wentz and Max Brosmer , though, and we know they have considerably more upside than what they showed last season. Jefferson remains one of the small handful of [... truncated ...]
Every single NFL team says that they want to build through the draft, and the New York Giants are no different. Drafting starting caliber players is a good start, but that also means retaining your players once they’re eligible for free agency. This year, the Giants had to watch four starting caliber players from the 2022 draft walk out the door for big contracts elsewhere in 2026. The Giants would have preferred to keep Wan’Dale Robinson , Cor’Dale Flott, Daniel Bellinger , and Dane Belton , but that just wasn’t in the cards. NFL teams always have difficult decisions to make in the off-season, and there will always be players they want to keep who leave due to cost or the numbers game. Losing those players is now in the past, and the Giants now have to keep their sights set on building for the future, and they players in their building now. So which of the three biggest names among the players on their rookie contracts do you think is most likely to earn a second contract from the Giants? EDGE Kayvon Thibodeaux – Despite being just 25 years old, Thibodeaux is among the longest-tenured Giants on the roster. He hasn’t quite managed to live up to being the fifth overall pick, but was on a similar pace as Michael Strahan prior to 2025. Thibodeaux has struggled with injuries over the last two years and has seen his sack performance fall off from 11.5 under Wink Martindale in 2023 to just 7.5 in two years under Shane Bowen. Even so, Thibodeaux is versatile enough to play in space or on the line of scrimmage, has a penchant for generating big plays, and is the Giants’ best run defending edge player. Can he finally put it all together in his fifth season and have a monster year? And if so, would that price him out of the Giants plans, as happened with Robinson and Flott? CB Deonte Banks – Banks flashed “number one” corner ability as a rookie and even in his second year (notably, against D.K. Metcalf with vs. the Seahawks , and George Pickens against the Steelers ). However, he simply did not adapt well to both Shane Bowen’s defense and the loss of Jerome Henderson. He excels at playing tight, sticky coverage, but struggled when the margin for error disappears at the catch point. There are a bunch of potential reasons why, but the bottom line is that Banks has simply not lived up to being a first round pick. He’s getting another chance with John Harbaugh, Dennard Wilson, Donald D’Alesio, and Addison Lynch, and has reportedly performed well in this spring’s roster battle for the first over the spring. Even if Banks isn’t able to earn a second contract as a starting corner, he has emerged as a very good kick returner, which is of growing importance with the NFL’s new kickoff rules, as well as John Harbaugh’s appreciation for Special Teams. OC John Michael Schmitz – Schmitz is the safest of the three. He didn’t initially play up to expectations as one of the top two centers in the 2023 NFL Draft, but he has improved each season as a pro. Schmitz is now a solid starting center, who has done a good job of smoothing out the rough spots in his game while still showing flashes of untapped upside. The hope is that the presence of Sisi Mauigoa will help Schmitz better play to his strengths as a blocker and be the player the Giants have always hoped he could become. Schmitz also plays the least-expensive position of these three players. While center is absolutely important to the functioning of the offensive line, it doesn’t command the same kind of premium on the open market as edge defenders or cornerbacks. The Giants obviously hope that each player takes a step forward this year and becomes a core piece of their roster for years to come. But as we’ve seen, what the Giants hope happens and what actually comes to pass aren’t often the same thing. Players don’t always live up to expectations or hopes, and they might price themselves out of the team’s budget if they exceed expectations. So Giants fans, which of these Giants do you thi
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The Pittsburgh Steelers made several notable upgrades to their offense. At the beginning of the offseason, they traded for wide receiver Michael Pittman and signed running back Rico Dowdle . In the 2026 NFL Draft, they added wide receiver Germie Bernard after trading up for him. Despite the additions, there are those who remain skeptical about Pittsburgh. One of those skeptics is Bill Barnwell of ESPN, who ranks Pittsburgh’s group of skill position players as the No. 21 unit in the NFL. “Another offseason brought another trade for an expensive wide receiver by an organization that had developed a reputation for finding its own in the middle rounds of the draft,” Barnwell writes . “Michael Pittman Jr. is a good fit for what Aaron Rodgers wants to do (get the ball out quickly for short completions) but a bad fit for what the Steelers need (a wide receiver who can stretch teams downfield). Second-round pick Germie Bernard should be an upgrade on Calvin Austin III , and it’s fair to pin the problems creating big plays on the quarterback and his desire to stay clean, but the Steelers need to find a way to create explosive plays in 2026.” Barnwell adds that the inconsistency of DK Metcalf is a large reason why the Steelers are so low on the list. “[Metcalf] had games when that seemed possible in 2025, but it was a boom-or-bust season,” Barnwell writes. “He had four games with 85 receiving yards or more, and he didn’t top 55 yards in any of his other 12 contests.” Barnwell acknowledges that there are good players in the offense, but the Steelers need Metcalf to become the Pro Bowl talent he was early on in his career. “There are fun players around the receivers,” Barnwell writes. “ Jaylen Warren has been able to handle almost exactly half of a running back rotation reasonably well. Rico Dowdle was prime Marshawn Lynch for a couple of weeks last season. Darnell Washington is one of the least fun players to tackle on the planet. Pat Freiermuth can go missing for stretches, but he’s also still capable enough to produce big games, like the 111-yard, two-score performance he put together in the shootout against the Bengals last season. There are no bad players here, but they could really use a vintage season from Metcalf.” The aforementioned additions should open things up for Metcalf, rather than allow defenses to make him their sole focus. Should Pittman, Bernard, and the run game all prove to be the high-quality additions many believe them to be, Pittsburgh’s offense very well could surprise many in 2026. Let us know what you think in the comments . Be sure to bookmark Behind the Steel Curtain for all the latest news, breakdowns, and more! NFL analyst tabs Steelers’ Mike McCarthy as NFL Coach of the Year candidate C.J. Stroud emerges as Steelers 2027 QB option Steelers sign versatile defensive back to one-year deal Steelers named landing spot for All-Pro WR Stefon Diggs Steelers unable to draft QB Brendan Sorsby, per NFL ruling
Data comes from cached Sleeper and KTC snapshots. Values update when the sync jobs run.
