"Screwed": Steelers' Stephon Tuitt Seriously Hurt Franchise's Future Plans

The Pittsburgh Steelers' 2026 offseason has been in a standstill given how hectic it was at the beginning. Following the hire of head coach Mike McCarthy, the organization got to work to quickly fill voids in its roster. The hire gives returning players from last year's team a chance to turn over a new leaf and it also provides a new beginning in the Steel City. There will be several questions that need answers in McCarthy's first year with the Black and Gold; however, one question was recently answered surrounding one of the franchises former second-round draft picks.

In the 2014 NFL Draft, Stephon Tuitt was selected from Notre Dame. He was drafted following his junior year in which he was a massive presence up front on their defense. In that season, he had a college career-high seven and a half sacks as well as an interception for a touchdown. The 6'6" 300-plus-pounder ended up retiring early in 2022.

In a recent appearance on 93.7 The Fan, team insider Mark Kaboly discussed how things could have turned out differently for the Black and Gold had the team known Tuitt would retire early. Kaboly also mentioned that had they known an early retirement was coming, they probably would have decided to try and keep Javon Hargrave. However, they made a decision that came back to bite them in the end.

“The Steelers got a little bit of bad luck there,” Kaboly said. “Because they chose Stephon Tuitt over him [Javon Hargrave] — and rightfully so — then Tuitt retires the next year. Then, they’re kinda screwed there. So, had they known that in advance, they obviously would’ve kept Hargrave over Tuitt.”

It is unclear how things would have turned out had the team worked to keep Hargrave around, especially considering some underwhelming defensive outputs in recent years. For a franchise well-known for dominant defenses, Pittsburgh has not been accustomed to them of late. However, on McCarthy's new staff is defensive coordinator Patrick Graham, who does have a solid presence up front on defense.

Steelers Have Been Exceptional Up Front Despite Tuitt Mistake

Following Hargrave's departure from the organization, he really made a big name for himself in the NFL. He has earned two Pro Bowl selections and he had a massive 2022 season with the Philadelphia Eagles. In that season, he posted 11 sacks for Philadelphia as well as two fumble recoveries and 10 tackles for loss. He established himself as an exceptional NFL defensive lineman and valuable asset to Pittsburgh's cross-state rivals.

However, the Steelers have had an exceptional well of talent up front on defense despite this mistake Kaboly mentioned. This is especially true in the form of their edge rushing trio of TJ Watt, Alex Highsmith, and Nick Herbig, who received an extension this offseason from the organization given his upside. 

The Black and Gold have a solid front presence on defense, but it will look to improve in the secondary in the 2026 season while playing in their first year under Graham's leadership. The front office made sure to add some help to work to solidify the secondary in free agency when signing safety Jaquan Brisker and cornerback Jamel Dean. 

While Kaboly's reference to the bad luck the team had in going with Tuitt could have backfired badly, they have done a great job of ensuring their defensive front is solid year in and year out despite his early retirement. 

The team will need an improved performance in the secondary and if that does happen, they will get back to their formerly dominant ways on that side of the ball. It can always be speculated about what could have been with their former second round pick, but they have done an exceptional job following that mistake to ensure it did not haunt them long-term.

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