While the debate about how many preseason games the NFL should schedule isn’t going away, Mike McCarthy is going to make the most out of the Steelers‘ third matchup before officially kicking off the 2026 season.
McCarthy even detailed his strategy going into Pittsburgh’s trip to Buffalo to wrap up the preseason against the Bills and what he expects to get out of the game.
“Let’s bet honest, the depth of our football team isn’t something that really comes out of this third game,” McCarthy said via the Steelers’ website. “That’s been my personal experience, and I think it’ll probably hold true once we get to Friday.”
And based off McCarthy’s comment here, Steelers fans shouldn’t expect a future star or even starter emerge in the final preseason game.
But he is leaving the door open for players to still impress him, forcing him to ponder if he needs to keep them around in someway.
“Guys step up in that last game and you go, ‘whoas,’ and it makes those decisions after the last game even harder. And harder is not, ‘maybe did they make the 53-man roster the 68-man (including practice squad). Maybe he’s 69, 70, 71. So that’s the way I look at it,” he added.
As far as who will actually take the field for Pittsburgh, most of the veterans McCarthy plans to rely on – the Aaron Rodgers, DK Metcalf, Michael Pittman Jr. etc. types on offense and Cam Heyward, TJ Watt and company on defense – will be in street clothes.
However, he’s likely to grant Kaleb Johnson another chance to prove himself. After only receiving two carries in Pittsburgh’s preseason opener on August 13, Johnson touched the ball 12 times in the 17-0 loss to the Jets. And while, unlike the Steelers 28-9 win over the Packers, the offense struggled to move the ball consistently and failed to put any points on the scoreboard with New York in town, Johnson attempted to make the most out of his chance to impress.
Johnson ran for 39 yards on 10 rushing attempts, averaging 3.9 yards per carry. He also caught two passed for 15 yards.
And of course, Drew Allar and Will Howard may share snaps under center again as well, assuming McCarthy continues to either drag out his quarterback depth chart decision or decides to go into the regular season with all four still on the main roster.
Offensive tackle Broderick Jones, 25, a former first round pick the Steelers have been moving around, may even see time as he continues to “find his groove” and work his way back from offseason surgery.
Mike McCarthy Explains How He Views Steelers’ Final Preseason Game