Steelers' Winners And Losers From Second 2026 Preseason Game Against The Jets

The Pittsburgh Steelers started off the Mike McCarthy era in the Steel City on the right foot in the first week of the 2026 preseason. A 28-9 victory over the Green Bay Packers had fans excited, and the matchup had both winners and losers. On Friday, the team took on the New York Jets for the final home exhibition contest of the year, and the result was a 17-0 loss. There were some things to like, but the game also displayed that there are still plenty of kinks to work out.

Steelers Winners

1.) Rayshawn Jenkins

Pittsburgh has a lot of questions at the safety position. It was great for fans to see DeShon Elliott on the field against the Jets, and Jaquan Brisker is also in the equation after signing a free-agent deal with the Steelers. However, Rayshawn Jenkins was the one who showed out on Friday evening. 

Early on in the game, he blew up a New York run in the backfield and soon after forced an intentional grounding when he was extremely close to sacking Cade Klubnik. Jenkins also registered two quarterback hits. If he can consistently perform like he did on Friday, the safety depth suddenly gets a lot better for McCarthy.

2.) Cameron Johnston

Welcome back to Pittsburgh, Cameron Johnston. After signing a three-year, $9 million deal in the 2024 offseason, the punter suffered a devastating injury that eventually led to him not really playing much for the Steelers at all. 

He returned on a one-year contract after being cut in 2025 and is pretty much a lock to make the roster at this point. His first two boots against the Jets averaged out at 53 yards, including a pin inside the five-yard-line. He ended up punting six times with an average of over 50 yards per kick.

3.) Carson Bruener

Special teams is something that McCarthy values. The Steelers' head coach has repeatedly said that he wants guys on the 53-man roster to be able to work in more than just one role. Well, Carson Bruener proved that he is more than just someone who can contribute in the third phase of the game. He had a sack and a tackle for loss in the first half and adds a unique layer of depth that any team would seriously value.

4.) Mason Rudolph

Who said you have to play to be named a winner of a preseason game? Will Howard was not good and Drew Allar didn't necessarily impress, either, even though the offensive line didn't do them many favors. 

Mason Rudolph is a veteran with plenty of experience, and it seems as if it will be extremely hard for anyone to unseat him as the second-string signal-caller with just a couple of weeks to go until the real football kicks off.

5.) Kaleb Johnson

It's not over for the 2025 third-round pick just yet. Kaleb Johnson got plenty of work on Friday and while he didn't necessarily have any incredible highlights, he proved to the coaching staff that he is capable of handling a workload and catching passes out of the backfield.

Some may believe that roster decisions are already set in stone once training camp begins, but this Steelers running back room may truly come down to the wire, and Johnson made a strong case against the Jets.

Steelers Losers

1.) First-Team Defense

Specifically, the Steelers' initial defensive drive of the game was far from ideal. Geno Smith completed all seven of his passes for 65 yards and threw for a touchdown to conclude the possession. While not all of Pittsburgh's top guys were out there, players like Alex Highsmith, Patrick Queen, and Elliot, among others, were out there to let up seven points.

It's certainly fair to note that the top performers for the unit were not all active during the contest; however, the starting individuals who were in the lineup had a very rough go of things.

2.) Will Howard

It was a great professional debut for Howard when he performed well versus the Packers. Things went south on Friday, though. Two interceptions really hurt the offense's momentum in the first half, and both came on the Jets' side of the field. 

The tape will be something to look back on, with the second-year quarterback still vying for the main backup role. Overall, it wasn't a solid showing after he put some good stuff on tape when taking on Green Bay. Allar also deserves a little bit of backlash for his inaccuracy and failure to move the ball down the field.

3.) Broderick Jones

It is great to see Broderick Jones back on the field and competing in live action. That doesn't mean that he is where he needs to be regarding getting back into perfect football shape.

Jones allowed an easy sack as first-round pick David Bailey made the lineman looks absolutely silly. It's clear that the big man up front still has a lot of work to do as he fights for playing time. He ended up returning later on and after Mark Kaboly's social media post, but the performance was not impressive. The tackle gets the brunt of the criticism here; however, the entire line was not good at all in the loss.

4.) McCarthy's "QB School"

The Steelers hired someone who has a reputation of being able to develop signal-callers. He has serious expectations for that position, regardless of tenure. No one should panic after a rough outing from the Steelers' two young quarterbacks. With that said, there wasn't much that should inspire confidence based on how Howard and Allar played. Putting up zero points should raise at least some red flags, even if those might not last for very long.

5.) Preseason Football

What a tough game it was to watch for fans of both the Steelers and Jets. Play was sloppy, points came at a premium, and regular-season action cannot come soon enough.

Steelers Will Wrap Up 2026 Preseason Against The Bills

Meaningful football is just around the corner with only one more contest on the slate for McCarthy and co. The group will travel to play the Buffalo Bills on Thursday, August 27th. After that, the Steelers will get all set to take on the Atlanta Falcons in Week 1 at Acrisure Stadium. A lot of important roster decisions still need to be made leading up to that showdown.

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