Steelers Have A Few "Surprise Cuts" Directly In The Hands Of Mike McCarthy

The Pittsburgh Steelers are starting to get a better idea of what the roster is going to look like for the 2026 season, and the final two preseason games are going to help put the finishing touches on the 53-man roster. This is going to be an interesting saga to watch as this is Mike McCarthy's first time putting a roster together in Pittsburgh, and it will be fascinating to see what kind of numbers he is going to want to have at each position and on each side of the ball. There have already been several changes noticed with the new coaching staff, with McCarthy obviously leading the charge.

The change from former head coach Mike Tomlin to McCarthy was certainly going to be an adjustment, especially for the players that have been in Pittsburgh for some time. Members of the media and the fans are also having to adjust. McCarthy has things on more of a lockdown as members of the media are not allowed into the locker room, there has seemingly been less media availability, and McCarthy has been especially vague about certain injuries and things going on with the team. Tomlin was definitely more open with the media, which is kind of a surprising thing to realize when considering some of the interactions Tomlin had with the press.

Beat writer Mark Kaboly was speaking about how McCarthy runs things on a recent episode of his show Kaboly + Mack, and he noted that the new head coach has his hands in everything. It's his way, or the highway.

"I just wish we could get a better sense of this, I have no idea, we're not allowed in the locker room, we're not allowed anywhere, so it's all speculation," Kaboly said. "Big Mike has it locked down, everything in that organization, football-operations-wise, has to be OK'd by him. I can almost call him a lowkey taskmaster, everything I hear from people man, he don't mess with it, it's his way or it's, 'Bye bye.' Everything he has his finger in. That's why, you know, there might be a surprise cut or two if somebody doesn't follow what he wants. When I say surprise cuts, that's like the Kaleb Johnsons or the [Kaden] Wetjens."

Kaboly clearly identified just how involved McCarthy is when it comes to the football operations in Pittsburgh, and how he wants things done a certain way. If a player can't get behind that or doesn't do things the way he wants them to, they could be gone by the time the regular season begins. Kaboly mentioned Kaleb Johnson and Kaden Wetjen, as those two are the ones that have been somewhat called out by McCarthy when he has been speaking to the media.

Johnson is in legitimate danger when it comes to making the final roster, while Wetjen should be safe. He is the starting return man, and he also looked good in the preseason game against the Green Bay Packers. He is also a rookie that was a fourth-round pick, so he should be on the team. McCarthy "called him out" by saying he should have scored on a 74-yard gain, and noted he had some things to clean up. He is nowhere near the danger Johnson is in.

Steelers Seem Certain To Move On From Kaleb Johnson

It is hard to tell if cutting Johnson would even be a surprise at this point. He only got two carries against Green Bay, and he has seen limited reps in training camp. This coaching staff is not the one that had a say in drafting him, so it seems like he might be as good as gone if things continue to go in the way that they are. He has two more preseason games to turn things around.

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