The Pittsburgh Steelers have had one of the most rudimentary offenses in the entire NFL this past decade. They have really struggled to construct an offense that can score points consistently. Whether it was the failure to find a proper successor to franchise legend Ben Roethlisberger, or being late on the reconstruction of the offensive line when the previous stars started to get older, the organization couldn't seem to get it right. Perhaps the biggest problem was predictability and teams knowing what the Steelers would do before the ball was snapped.
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Former Steelers head coach Mike Tomlin (right) and former Steelers offensive coordinator Arthur Smith (left) coaching during an away game.
In 2025, the Steelers' offense was a little less predictable in their formations, but every team seemingly knew who the ball was going to go to through the air. Aaron Rodgers came to town and brought his concepts to mesh with former offensive coordinator Arthur Smith, helping the offense become more versatile. However, the only viable wide receiver on the roster was DK Metcalf. Now that Rodgers will be reuniting with Mike McCarthy, the offense will look to become more potent. McCarthy has been known to spread the ball out, and one team insider believes that will continue to be the case, this time in the Steel City.
Christopher Carter of the Post-Gazette recently appeared on an episode of his show Locked On, where he discussed what the Steelers' offense could look like in 2026. The Steelers' leader in targets in 2025 was Metcalf with just 99, followed by Kenneth Gainwell with 85, and the next-highest was Jonnu Smith at 54. Carter believes the team will emphasize spreading the ball out, while prioritizing getting more targets to their number one receiver.
"And you look at how they targeted guys in that offense that year, CeeDee Lamb was the leading target guy. He had 181 targets. 135 receptions for 1,700+ yards and 12 touchdowns," Carter explained. "And that very much keyed off the offense. But you also had 67 targets to Tony Pollard, 102 targets to their top tight end, Jake Ferguson, and 81 targets to Brandon Cooks. So you kind of spread the ball out a good bit when you look at how they did things there... So like you know, there's going to be a lot more emphasis to get the ball to your number one wide receiver, to get your ball to your second and third receiving options."
During his time with the Dallas Cowboys, McCarthy had one of the best pass catchers in the NFL in CeeDee Lamb and a top tight end in Jake Ferguson, but outside of those two, it was never a superior group. Yet, McCarthy was still able to spread the ball around to help his top wide receiver go for 1,700 yards and 12 touchdowns.
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Steelers' Mike McCarthy before a game as the head coach of the Dallas Cowboys.
The Steelers have more mouths to feed than the Cowboys did, but Metcalf should certainly see an uptick in his targets and potentially his production.
Steelers Have The Weapons To Spread The Ball Out
The Steelers not only addressed their wide receiver two (WR2) spot with Michael Pittman Jr. this offseason, but they doubled down by taking Germie Bernard in the second round of the 2026 NFL Draft. Teams will now have to respect more than just Metcalf in Pittsburgh's passing game. Opponents now have Pittman and Bernard to worry about as serious threats. The weapons on the outside could also open up the weapons on the inside as well.
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Steelers tight end Pat Freiermuth (88) during a regular season matchup between the Pittsburgh Steelers and Seattle Seahawks.
Pat Freiermuth and Darnell Washington often struggled to get in the game plan in 2025, with Freiermuth sometimes being a completely zero factor. With the new weaponry on the outside for the Steelers, Freiermuth should be able to have a much bigger role in the offense this season. The Steelers should have no issues spreading the ball out in 2026 and should not be nearly as predictable as seasons past.
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