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ESPN names best, worst offseason move from Pittsburgh Steelers

IMG_0985by: Griffin McVeigh05/29/26griffin_mcveigh

It’s a new era for the Pittsburgh Steelers, welcoming head coach Mike McCarthy. Even if you take his hiring out of the equation, the Steelers faced a pretty big offseason. Changes were needed on the roster despite winning the NFC North and getting into the playoffs. One thing, in particular, caught the eye of ESPN.

Pittsburgh got some much-needed help in the secondary via free agency. Jamel Dean will slot into one of the cornerback roles, technically signing a three-year deal. However, the way the contract works, the Steelers can get out of it if Dean does not perform. A win-win scenario for them.

“The Steelers are only really on the hook for one year and $13.5 million, leaving them with plenty of flexibility if Dean does take a step back in his age-30 season. Between their devastating trio of pass rushers on the edge and the combination of Dean and Joey Porter Jr. on the outside, new defensive coordinator Patrick Graham should have everything he needs to shut down opposing passing games in 2026.”

Dean previously spent seven seasons with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. He was a consistent starter for them over the past five before moving to Pittsburgh.

ESPN questions handling of quarterbacks for Pittsburgh Steelers

Now, let’s flip the worst move of the offseason for the Steelers — kind of. ESPN decided to go with an overall handling of the quarterback situation instead of calling out one specific decision.

Aaron Rodgers is the main focus here, who will be reuniting with McCarthy. There is a lot that comes with Rodgers being on the roster, given his age and recent performances.

“At 42, the chances are far more likely that Rodgers is worse in 2026 than of any sort of dramatic improvement. It would be one thing if the Steelers were waiting on peak Rodgers to return, but the entire organization was left on hold as a below-average starter spent months deciding whether he wanted to continue playing. And though Rodgers is obviously familiar with new head coach Mike McCarthy, it’s worth remembering that Rodgers’ performance improved dramatically in Green Bay after McCarthy left and was replaced by Matt LaFleur.”

ESPN then dove into who the quarterback of the future is. Two young guys — Will Howard and Drew Allar — should occupy roster spots after being drafted the last two years. Whether or not they will ever get a chance to start, we will have to wait and see.