"Safe To Assume": Steelers Insider Confident Pittsburgh Will Cut Offensive Contributor From 2025

The Pittsburgh Steelers will have several tweaks to the roster that are going to be made following the hiring of Mike McCarthy. Whenever a new head coach comes into an organization, it's not just the coaching staff that will see severe adjustments. A new leader in the building means different schemes and philosophies will be implemented. To accomplish this, the roster is likely not going to look as it did for the Steel City in 2025. Several names can be looked at as cut and/or trade candidates, which will lead to an offseason of intrigue and speculation.

McCarthy is already expected to bring a fresh offensive mindset to the Steelers. He has been around the game a long time, and it will be a breath of fresh air for fans to see different formations and more creativity. That doesn't mean, however, that all of the play-makers from the 2025 campaign will be around to see the shift in game planning.

Ray Fittipaldo wrote a piece for the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette about McCarthy's arrival and what to expect moving forward. Historically, the veteran coach hasn't loved the usage of tight ends; he has always focused more on receivers. This is why the reporter believes that someone will be on the chopping block soon, and that individual is likely to be Jonnu Smith.

"He was OK with one tight end being used as a primary receiver, and it was always receivers or running backs who rounded out his top five targets in any of those seasons," Fittipaldo wrote. "Knowing that, it’s safe to assume the Steelers will adjust their tight end-heavy roster in the coming weeks. They can release or try to trade veteran tight end Jonnu Smith, who did not produce despite his longstanding relationship with former Steelers coordinator Arthur Smith in his previous NFL stops. It’s a nearly $4 million cap hit if they cut Smith, but they can also save $7 million against their cap."

Pat Freiermuth and Darnell Washington seem to be the more likely candidates to stick around, while Smith has the strongest chance of being let go. His one year in Pittsburgh did not work out very well, and his presence seemed to distract the Steelers' from properly utilizing Freiermuth. Cutting Smith and having a plan to focus on Freiermuth should only benefit the offense, regardless of who is playing quarterback.

This won't be the only area of the Steelers' depth chart that ends up getting affected by the McCarthy hire. A lot of familiar names will be on their way out while new ones come into the picture. Despite the frustration behind the hire, it should be an exciting time for fans that were looking for change. An offensive-minded coach is now calling the shots, which could lead to more money invested on that side of the ball.

A simple, yet telling move occurred on Fridat as well. The Steelers signed tight end JJ Galbreath, who impressed during 2025 training camp, to a reserve/futures contract, which could be another hint that the decision-makers are closing in on cutting Smith.

Pittsburgh's defense has its own issues that will need to be sorted through. The team has spent way too much money to trot out an average group statistically. Whoever is brought in to be the defensive coordinator will have a very tough job of getting the best out of the unit, and it's possible that the group doesn't look the same in 2026 if McCarthy and General Manager Omar Khan make changes.

Steelers Won't Truly Miss Smith On Offense

Even though he experienced a breakout season in 2024, Smith was not too much of a factor for Pittsburgh in 2025. While the cap savings aren't groundbreaking if he is released, it's probably not worth it to keep him around, especially if McCarthy doesn't have plans to utilize three tight ends often. It appears to be trending in a direction of Freiermuth and Washington getting the benefit of the doubt.

Do you think that the Steelers are going to cut Smith? Let us know in the comments below!

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