With the 2025 season now over for the Pittsburgh Steelers it’s time to look ahead. After last year’s first round exit we were promised “changes” and very few, if any, actually made. I would love to be able to tell you that I have inside information as to what direction the franchise is headed this offseason but very few are given such knowledge. Therefore, here are three things that could or should happen.
Both Coordinators Will Not Return
I’ve been pretty clear with my feelings towards Mike Tomlin in recent years. I appreciate him. He’s a good coach, but he’s not a great coach and I think he’s taken the team as far as he can. Knowing that he will return means that there must be significant change elsewhere. This ‘change’ must also come with some parameters that force Tomlin to let his coordinators “coordinate.” With all that said, There is no reason whatsoever for either Arthur Smith or Teryl Austin to return.
Both of these units finished the 2025 season in the lower half of league standings. Arguments could be made that they both dealt with injuries and a real lack of talent especially on offense. The problem with that argument however is that every team deals with injuries and every team is forced to use the talent it has, not the talent it wishes it had.
The Steelers franchise needs to come into the modern day a bit more. It needs an offensive line that is allowed to dominate and it needs ideas outside of “which tight end can I use here.” I realize that’s low-hanging fruit but I think you get it and I honestly think Art Rooney II and other in the front office are finally coming around to it as well. None of this matter if Tomlin doesn’t change his paradigm however and that’s the most important part of this.
The Steelers Will Not Draft a Quarterback in the First Round
Fernando Mendoza will go number one overall unless his arm suddenly falls off. More importantly, the Steelers aren’t moving up that far anyway. Dante Moore? Lots of things to like but even if he comes out most of the Draft experts figure he will go in the top five. Again, I don’t see the Steelers moving up that high. That leaves a lot of other guys at the QB position but as of this writing, the only other one that could be a first rounder is Ty Simpson.
Simpson is currently being offered as much as $6.5 million to remain in college and frankly, he’d be a fool not to. The other concerns I have with those two is the limited number of starts. While starting a lot of games in college doesn’t guarantee success in the NFL, the recent results have shown that having more experience matters. Regardless, I think the Steelers see other areas they can continue to improve upon and therefore, they won’t draft a QB in the first.
Cam Heyward Returns
He’ll be 37 years old in March yet he’s coming off two of his better seasons as a professional. Last year Heyward was a first team All-Pro and this year, he was named to the second team. His play in the Baltimore game was probably one of the better performances by an interior defensive lineman this year. While it is obvious to most that Heyward seems to be setting himself up for a career in media after his playing days come to an end, I’m not sure he’s done.
In fact, I’ll go so far as to say that if Mike Tomlin returns (which I believe he will), then I can easily see Heyward coming back. It’s always easy to walk away from the game when you know you just can’t do it at a high level anymore. There’s always something to be said for walking away when you’re playing well. Unless he’s ready to get on with his life’s work, then I see him returning.
