The Pittsburgh Steelers have officially arrived and reported to training camp in Latrobe, PA. Amongst one of their busier offseasons in recent history, many questions loom as new head coach Mike McCarthy enters the first year of his tenure with the organization. Change was the big narrative all offseason in the Steel City as they underwent an overhaul from a coaching standpoint and also added several players in the offseason in hopes to revamp the team and find playoff success as quarterback Aaron Rodgers returns. He will reunite with his former head coach after they spent over a decade together with the Green Bay Packers.
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New Steelers head coach Mike McCarthy smiles with quarterback Aaron Rodgers during OTAs at the UPMC Rooney Sports Complex in 2026.
Wide receiver DK Metcalf was quick to discuss some changes he made as he has a different approach entering the 2026 NFL season. He will look to bounce back following a 2025 season that saw him produce a career-low 850 receiving yards. While things are anticipated to be different for him in his second year on the team, his head coach spoke to the media Tuesday when he arrived at training camp.
While several questions loom as to how the scheme could be different under McCarthy and how new players will mesh with players returning from last year, some questions have started to get answers as the media gets to speak with them. The head coach of the Black and Gold was asked one specific question about training camp during his media session with them. The answer provided adds a significant change in preparation for the upcoming season.
“We won’t do live tackling,” McCarthy said. “I’ve done live tackling in the past and that’s kind of where I touched on just briefly, every drill has been evaluated. There’s a GPS component behind everything that we do. There’s more stress that we need to apply to our training situations and just going to the ground. The footwork is the priority, always will be about the feet in everything that we do. Whether that’s tackling, blocking, ball security, all those things.”
It is no question that technology has come a long way and especially in sports. The GPS component that he mentioned in his answer may offer some more context as to why the team is making this change during camp. If there are advanced numbers and metrics that show an increase in injuries, or even the potential for them, then that is most likely why he is changing their approach for the first year of his tenure.
Steelers' Overall Health Will Play A Key Factor In Success For 2026 Season
Rodgers did sustain multiple fractures in his non-throwing wrist during the 2025 season, causing him to sit out Week 12 against the Chicago Bears, which led to a start from backup Mason Rudolph. They ultimately lost that game, but Rodgers returned in Week 13 for a home game against the Buffalo Bills. It will be key for the offensive line to keep him upright and healthy in 2026 so he has time to get the ball to his new weapons in Michael Pittman Jr. and Germie Bernard.
Health will play a key role on this team in 2026 for them to have success, but not just on the offensive side of the ball. Safety DeShon Elliott returns in the upcoming season from an injury and his last full season in 2024, he had a massive impact on the defensive side of the football. However, an injury plagued 2025 kept him off the field for a large majority of it and the defense can use him at full health to improve in 2026.
Karl Roser / Pittsburgh Steelers
Steelers' DeShon Elliott makes a physical tackle during a win over the Cleveland Browns during the 2025 season.
This is a big change compared to how former head coach Mike Tomlin ran things in training camp. However, there is expected to be a lot of change this year as the Steelers have a new regime running things. If injuries are limited and the 2026 season is a success, the comments made by McCarthy may be re-hashed as a driving force behind them staying relatively healthy throughout the year.
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