The Pittsburgh Steelers begin the 2026 season with a record of 2-2, and it marks the third consecutive year that the team has won its season opener. It is important to get off to a good start, especially with how difficult the second half of the schedule is for the Steelers in 2026. Another thing that is going to be important for the Steelers is health. That is the case for every team in the NFL, but it is especially true for the Steelers due to how old the roster is, and how many of those older players are being relied upon to make a positive impact.
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Steelers Head Coach Mike McCarthy speaking with former Pittsburgh Head Coach Mike Tomlin ahead of a game in Pittsburgh.
A hot start is also important because it is a positive start to a new regime under Head Coach Mike McCarthy. He took over after Mike Tomlin stepped down following the 2025 season, and he has been taking a different approach from his predecessor. Tomlin was a physical coach, and he ran a physical training camp. He wanted his players hitting one another and taking each other to the ground, but McCarthy was the opposite. There was no tackling during camp for Pittsburgh, and this was probably smart as the roster feels healthier and fresher entering the regular season.
Mason Rudolph joined Christian Kuntz on his podcast, The Christian Kuntz Podcast, and the two discussed McCarthy and his approach to running the team.
"He's been flipping the culture," Kuntz said. "Trying to flip the culture. Set his tone, set his ways. Everyone's healthy, I said that McCarthy, he takes his scheduling very seriously. Like it's a competition between him and the other 31, and I like that."
Kuntz wasn't saying that anything was wrong with the way Tomlin ran things, but there is a difference between what he did and how McCarthy operates that is noticeable. McCarthy wants to make sure his own systems are in place, which can be hard to do when taking over for a coach that was with the franchise for so long. Rudolph spoke more about the situation.
"The schedule, love the schedule," Rudolph said. "I mean the scheduling has been great. Kept the boys up in training camp, healthy."
It seems like not every player was a fan of the way that Tomlin ran his practices during training camp. It allowed some players to get banged up, and those minor injuries could turn into something worse later on in the season.
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Pittsburgh Steelers Head Coach Mike McCarthy stands on the field and looks into the distance with his play sheet in hand as the team works out during a 2026 training camp practice at Saint Vincent College in Latrobe, PA.
McCarthy has taken more of an analytical approach to the game and to preparing certain numbers of snaps for certain players. One big example is with outside linebacker TJ Watt. He has been rotating off the field more and more with McCarthy running things, and he played under 40 snaps against the Atlanta Falcons in Week 1. He still managed to produce two sacks and a pick-six in the game, but more importantly, he spoke about how great he felt after the win. His body wasn't hurting at all, which is a good sign of things to come.
Steelers Are Preparing For A Long Season
What has hurt the Steelers a good amount in years past has been late-season injuries and players being banged up and therefore less productive to end the season. McCarthy and his staff are doing everything possible to make sure that doesn't happen. The players are still taking part in a violent game, and injuries are going to happen, but there won't be as much wear and tear for the older guys that are taking the field. This will allow players like Watt to be at their best when the games really matter near the end of the year.
What do you think about the comments on how McCarthy is running things in Pittsburgh? Let me know on X, @brogannoey!
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