The Pittsburgh Steelers looked to have addressed a number of roster concerns during the offseason. Aaron Rodgers is returning, first and foremost, along with several notable additions on both sides of the ball.
But were those moves enough to give the Steelers a credible roster heading into the 2026 season?
Just ahead of the team’s training camp, which begins July 28, ESPN ranked every NFL roster. The Steelers barely cracked the top 20.
ESPN Identifies Major Steelers Weakness For 2026 Season
ESPN ranked the Steelers’ roster No. 19 in the NFL. That was third in the AFC North, ahead of only the Cleveland Browns, who checked in at No. 31. The Baltimore Ravens ranked fifth, while the Cincinnati Bengals came in at No. 15.
What pushed Pittsburgh into the bottom half of the league wasn’t its 42-year-old quarterback. Instead, ESPN’s Mike Clay pointed to a concern on defense.
The team’s biggest weakness was listed as off-ball linebacker, specifically the projected starting duo of Patrick Queen and Payton Wilson.
“…That might not be a good thing after Pittsburgh ranked 27th in run stop win rate (28.9%) last season,” Clay wrote. “Queen remained an every-down player last season but slipped to 61st among 67 qualified off-ball linebackers in PFF grade (he ranked 54th among 69 qualified in 2024). Wilson could make a Year 3 leap, though he struggled to fend off Cole Holcomb and Malik Harrison, who both remain on the roster, for snaps last season.”
Queen has frequently been mentioned as a potential trade or cut candidate this offseason. He will enter his third season in Pittsburgh after signing a three-year, $41 million contract in free agency in 2024.
That said, Clay listed edge rusher as the Steelers’ biggest strength.
“The Steelers ranked fourth in the NFL with a 41.3% pass rush win rate and were sixth with 48 sacks last season. T.J. Watt is not coming off his best season, but he has been an All-Pro in each of his past five healthy seasons and is second in the NFL with 115 sacks since entering the league in 2017 (only he and Myles Garrett have more than 96 during that span),” Clay added. “Alex Highsmith (37.0 sacks over the past four seasons) is a terrific running mate. Nick Herbig registered a career-high 7.5 sacks last season, and his 24.7% pass rush win rate since entering the league is second to only Micah Parsons during that span.”
The Steelers are certainly hoping Watt can bounce back in 2026. At the same time, the organization has made it clear it views Herbig as a major piece of its future after signing him to a four-year, $100 million extension this offseason.
Steelers Secondary Could Determine Success
If there’s one move the Steelers have received widespread praise for this offseason, it’s the addition of Jamel Dean. With his addition, ESPN’s Seth Walder believes the cornerback room could ultimately become the x-factor for Pittsburgh this season.
“Pittsburgh’s most likely path to success involves having a great defense, and the pass rush is certainly there,” Walder wrote. “But what will the Steelers be like on the back end? Jamel Dean and Joey Porter Jr. are coming off seasons in which they posted 0.7 and 0.9 yards per coverage snap (per Next Gen Stats), respectively, both better than the 1.1 average for an outside corner. If they can pick up where they left off and the Steelers can get one more good season out of Jalen Ramsey, Pittsburgh could be tough to throw against.”
Ramsey remains somewhat of a wild card. He enters his 11th NFL season and will turn 32 on Oct. 24.
The Steelers began moving Ramsey into more of a hybrid role last season, working him at free safety, where he logged 450 snaps.
If Ramsey can continue to adapt while Dean and Porter provide stability on the outside, Pittsburgh’s secondary could end up being one of the more important factors in determining whether the team can make a deep playoff run.
Steelers Receive Troubling Roster Ranking Ahead of Training Camp