Steelers Have Promising Low Risk Option Come Out Of Nowhere To Seriously Help Defense In 2026

The Pittsburgh Steelers head into the 2026 offseason having a nearly entirely new coaching staff, something the team has not seen in almost 20 years. While some on the staff of new head coach Mike McCarthy were from the Mike Tomlin regime, there are several new faces in Pittsburgh that will be roaming the sidelines in the 2026 season. With the Super Bowl now in the rearview mirror, business is going to pick up across the league as the NFL heads towards its legal tampering period in March. This will be followed up with free agency and the 2026 NFL Draft, the latter of which will be hosted by the Steelers.

With these events coming up in the next couple of months, there will also be new faces on the Steelers' roster as well. They have several positions of need as they head into the 2026 season for McCarthy's inaugural campaign in Pittsburgh. The Steelers have a glaring need for the wide receiver position, in which they will likely fill during the draft as they seek to find some help for DK Metcalf ahead of his second year with the Steelers. 

Both the defensive and offensive units need to be improved before the regular season kicks off, as the Steelers found themselves in a familiar situation when their 2025 season came to an end. They suffered yet another first-round playoff exit in a game that was mostly non-competitive after halftime. The team will be busy with a hectic offseason working to find new pieces to improve both sides of the ball as they hope to have a different outcome in 2026.

On Monday, it was announced that former Los Angeles Chargers safety Nasir Adderley has plans to return to the NFL in 2026. Adderley, a 2019 second-round pick, plans this return after three years away from the game. In his four years in the NFL, Adderley started 44 contests in which he recorded three interceptions, 232 tackles, two forced fumbles and two fumble recoveries. Should the Steelers look to improve their secondary, they could look to bring in Adderley as a low-risk, high-reward type of move.

Steelers' Improvements Should Not Just Be Limited To Offense

While it is well-known the Steelers are aiming to upgrade their offense this offseason, particularly in the NFL Draft, the Steelers should not limit themselves to just that side of the ball. The Steelers' defense plagued them at different times throughout the 2025 season, particularly early on, as it struggled with extremely inconsistent play. While the Steelers do have Jalen Ramsey at safety through 2028, signing Adderley would make sense for a lot of reasons.

The Pittsburgh Steelers' 2025 defensive performance should have General Manager Omar Khan looking to find ways to improve the defensive unit in drastic ways. They ranked 17th in the NFL in scoring defense with 22.8 points per game allowed. They also ranked near the bottom of the league in passing defense at 29th, with 243.9 yards per game allowed through the air by the opposition. While adding Adderley to that defensive unit would not exactly be a splashy move for the Steelers, it makes plenty of sense given his situation and the small risk the Steelers would have to take should they bring him in. 

Would you like the Steelers to sign Nasir Adderley given it's low-risk, high-reward circumstances? Who can you see as the Steelers' starting safeties in 2026? Let us know in the comments below, or on our social media pages!

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