The Pittsburgh Steelers officially ushered in the Mike McCarthy era, as their first head coach in nearly 20 years had a press conference Tuesday afternoon. While McCarthy will have his work cut out for him in several areas, he mentioned that he plans to call plays while he is the head coach in Pittsburgh. This will be a big challenge that fans would enjoy seeing McCarthy overcome, as the Steelers' offense struggled in 2025. They ranked 25th in total offense with 305.6 yards per game and 15th in scoring at 23.4 points per game.
Matt Freed / Pittsburgh Post-Gazette
Steelers Head Coach Mike McCarthy at his introductory press conference with the organization on January 27th, 2026
One former Steelers great had a brilliant answer that could remedy the offensive production from 2025 into 2026. On his Footbahlin podcast on Tuesday with fellow former quarterback Charlie Batch, Ben Roethlisberger had a suggestion on one area of improvement the Steelers can hone in on.
"I think you need to get playmakers, especially if you're talking West Coast, you know the West Coast system," Roethlisberger said. "I never played in it, but it's a lot of you know, crossing routes, like you have to have guys that can run. You got to have a big guy that can go down the field which you have in DK [Metcalf], but where's our true, like, we need some two and three receivers."
Roethlisberger's brilliant answer echoes what has been on the mind of a lot of people in and around the Steelers organization. Wide receiver DK Metcalf is the Steelers' big-play threat, but at times, their offense struggled as they had no solidified number two or three wide receiver to take attention off of him. Metcalf's 850 yards receiving led the Steelers in 2025, with wide receiver Calvin Austin III second among Pittsburgh wide receivers with just 372.
Ian Walton / Associated Press
Steelers wide receivers DK Metcalf and Calvin Austin running down the field during a game against the Minnesota Vikings in Dublin, Ireland.
Going after a second, and possibly third wide receiver as Roethlisberger mentioned, could provide an improved offensive attack in 2026 in Pittsburgh. The Steelers could do this in free agency come March, or the 2026 NFL Draft.
Steelers Have Massive Opportunity To Innovate Offense
The Steelers have a big chance to innovate and improve their offense in 2026 under McCarthy. While some are upset in that the approach to hiring McCarthy was rushed and they failed to go after a younger candidate, one difference from past head coaches in Pittsburgh is that McCarthy is offensive-minded. McCarthy's background includes coaching the likes of Joe Montana, Dak Prescott, and Brett Favre -- not to mention Aaron Rodgers. That is one stark contrast in this hire for the Steelers that they have not seen in previous coaching hires.
The Steelers have many different avenues in which they can attack filling the void at the wide receiver position before the 2026 NFL season. Free agency is set to begin as mentioned. The Steelers can then start to look outside the organization for answers to provide Metcalf with some much-needed help. Pittsburgh, who is hosting the NFL Draft in 2026, can also look for some young names coming out of college to bolster the position. Furthermore, they could also look to trade for a wide receiver before the start of the 2026 campaign. They were recently linked to Chicago Bears talented wide receiver DJ Moore.
Nam Y. Huh / Associated Press
Chicago Bears wide receiver DJ Moore exits field after an NFL game in Chicago.
With the Steelers failing to find the end zone in their 30-6 home playoff loss against the Houston Texans, this should be a position of need that not only fans, but the organization want to see improved before the 2026 season. If it does improve, the offense could quickly turn back into the juggernaut it was during a significant portion of Roethlisberger's time in Pittsburgh.
Would you like to see the Steelers get a number two and possibly number three wide receiver before this offseason like Roethlisberger suggested? Let us know in the comments below, or on our social media platforms!
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