The Steelers are still in the middle of their coaching search to find the man to succeed Mike Tomlin. When that new coach and (presumably) new staff of assistant coaches come in, they will be faced with several significant question marks on the roster. In tandem with Omar Khan, the way these roster questions are addressed will not only impact the Steelers short-term outlook but will also define their success in the long-term. In addition to these five questions, there will be other player decisions (like Cam Heyward’s pending decision on whether to play or retire) that will shape the outlook for the Steelers and their new coaching staff. But as we sit here at the end of January, these are the biggest questions the new coaching staff will have to answer when shaping the roster for this year and beyond.
Who will be the next Quarterback? (and what is the plan for finding the quarterback of the future?)
This is obviously the biggest question facing the 2026 Pittsburgh Steelers. The Steelers are still searching for their long-term answer at quarterback and the outlook does not seem promising for finding the guy this offseason. Aaron Rodgers was here on just a one-year contract. Mason Rudolph has one year left on his backup-level deal and 6th round rookie Will Howard hasn’t played a live snap in over a year. The biggest task for the new head coach and his staff will be to find a quarterback capable of executing his system in the short-term while formulating a plan to find a long-term solution. The new coach and his scheme will dictate the type of player the Steelers go after to fill this void. For instance, coaches out of the Shanahan coaching tree may be able to bring some of San Francisco’s offensive philosophy to Pittsburgh, which has seen numerous quarterbacks thrive even if they weren’t the most physically talented or gifted players.
What to do at Outside Linebacker?
While the Steelers have no starter-quality players at quarterback, they have the opposite problem at outside linebacker. TJ Watt signed a 3-year, $123 million contract extension with $108 million fully guaranteed last offseason. Watt will be 32 next year and his production took a significant dip this season. Can the new coach and his defensive coordinator reignite TJ’s career in the later days? From a salary cap standpoint, Watt’s $32 million salary is fully guaranteed next year. This makes Watt almost impossible to cut from a cap standpoint. Trading TJ Watt would certainly not be a popular move, and it might be difficult to find a team willing to take on that much salary. Due to the large amount of guaranteed money owed in the next two years, the return for TJ Watt in a trade would likely be well below his perceived value or the Steelers would have to take on some of the salary. Alex Highsmith led the team in sacks and was their best pass rusher this past season. Highsmith signed a 4-year extension in 2023 and is under contract for two more seasons. Nick Herbig exploded onto the scene last year. Despite playing 200 fewer snaps than Watt (610 to 812), Herbig had more sacks (7.5 to 7.0). At just 24 years old, Herbig is entering the prime of his career and has one year left on his rookie contract.
This three-player conundrum presents an interesting crossroads in Steelers philosophies. The organization has always prioritized signing players they drafted and developing talent in-house. They also have been big believers in having star players be “Steelers for life.” But simply put, they can not pay top dollar to three players at a single position. Highsmith was their best pass rusher, Watt is under a long-term deal that will be difficult to trade (and trading away a fan-favorite and one of the best pass rushers in team history certainly wouldn’t be a popular move), but Herbig is up-and-coming and deserves an extension. The smart move would be to try to sign Herbig to a team-friendly contract around the range of Highsmith’s $17 million per year. The fallback option here might be to let Herbig play the final year of his rookie deal, use the franchise tag on him in 2027 then let Highsmith walk when his contract expires after the 2027 season, hoping that the Herbig bridge wasn’t burned and a long-term deal can be worked out for 2028 and beyond.
Which direction will we take the Wide Receiver Room?
DK Metcalf, Roman Wilson and Ben Skowronek are the only receivers under contract for 2026. Wilson couldn’t even find a helmet in a depleted receiving corps at the end of the season. Can a new coaching staff find a way to get something out of him or will the Steelers need a complete refresh of the unit around DK Metcalf? The offensive scheme brought in by the new head coach and coordinators will certainly dictate the type of players the Steelers go after here. They have been without a #2 wide receiver for years now. There are a few free agents who might be worth considering including players like Alec Pierce, Romeo Doubs, Tutu Atwell, or Wan’Dale Robinson who are all coming off rookie deals. The Draft will once again be loaded with receiving talent and it would not be a surprise to see the Steelers use multiple draft picks here. Ultimately, with DK the only proven commodity returning, the Steelers are going to have to fill the WR room with a mixture of draft picks and free agents as they probably need to add 3 or 4 more receivers this offseason.
Who will fill the gaps in the Defensive Backfield?
The Steelers “splash” move last offseason was trading away Minkah Fitzpatrick for Jalen Ramsey and Jonnu Smith. Strong safety DeShon Elliott was signed to an extension but spent most of the season on injured reserve. What looked on paper like a dream team defensive backfield turned into a nightmare early in the season. The Steelers were able to patch it together thanks to the emergence of Joey Porter Jr (who finally reigned in his penalties) over the second half of the season. JPJ and nickel corner Brandon Echols (who had an up-and-down season) both have one year left on their contracts, as does the oft-injured Corey Trice. James Pierre had the best year of his career and will be a free agent, along with backup safeties Chuck Clark and Kyle Dugger (who got benched at the end of the year).
The first question in the defensive backfield will be what to do with Ramsey. Will the new coaching staff make his mid-season move to free safety a permanent one or will they decide to move on and get younger in the back end? At corner, JPJ will be the clear #1 and Echols as the slot guy, but that still leaves the Steelers with needing 4 more corners plus some depth safeties. It would not be surprising to see the Steelers both sign a few free agent corners and spend multiple draft picks on defensive backs. There are a number of young corners who will be hitting the free agent market this offseason, and generally speaking signing an established corner is a better proposition than drafting one outside the Top 50.
What will happen on the Left side of the Offensive Line?
The Steelers offensive line started to come together this season, but when you take a step back there are significant questions that need to be answered on the left side. Starting left guard Isaac Seumalo is going to be a free agent. Before the season even starts, the new coaching staff will have to decide whether or not to exercise Broderick Jones’ 5th year option. Complicating matters is how well Dylan Cook played down the stretch. Both Jones and Cook are under contract for another year, as are both depth linemen Spencer Anderson and Calvin Anderson. One of the Anderson’s could step in at guard for Seumalo if the Steelers don’t bring him back or don’t make another move to fill that gap. The new coaching staff will have to also determine whether Jones, Cook, or someone else will be the starting left tackle next season.
