Pittsburgh Steelers News

Pittsburgh Steelers wide receiver Roman Wilson saw the bulk of the reps as the WR3 during Wednesday's first training camp session. DK Metcalf and Michael Pittman Jr. will remain on top of the depth chart, but it appears the WR3 is open for grabs. Wilson seems to have the edge to begin training camp. It won't be easy, as second-round pick Germie Bernard should also be making a push for the WR3 to start the season. Wilson put together a 12-catch season in 2025, but the Steelers have faith that he can still be a reliable contributor. He could be worth stashing in deep leagues just in case Metcalf or Pittman miss time.

Pittsburgh Steelers running back Rico Dowdle offers reasonable mid-round redraft value after signing a two-year, $12.25 million contract following consecutive 1,000-yard rushing seasons. The 28-year-old handled 236 carries for 1,076 yards and six touchdowns with Carolina in 2025 while adding 39 receptions for 297 yards and another score, giving him 1,373 scrimmage yards on 275 touches. Dowdle also rushed for 1,079 yards with Dallas in 2024, proving last season was not an isolated breakout. The concern is workload. Jaylen Warren produced 958 rushing yards, 40 receptions, 333 receiving yards, and eight total touchdowns last year, and Pittsburgh's coaching staff has described the pair as a one-two punch whose usage could change by scheme and weekly game plan. Both have been evaluated as three-down options, so neither is guaranteed the more valuable rushing, receiving, or scoring role. RotoBaller currently ranks Dowdle 87th overall and RB33, which appropriately reflects the committee risk. He is a worthwhile third running back with weekly flex potential and greater upside if Warren misses time, but fantasy managers should not draft him expecting a workhorse role.

Pittsburgh Steelers head coach Mike McCarthy said that veteran quarterback Mason Rudolph will work with the second-team offense at the start of training camp, while rookie quarterback Drew Allar and 2025 sixth-rounder Will Howard will work with "other groups," per Ray Fittipaldo of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. A third-round pick out of Penn State, Allar is not expected to see much of the field in his rookie season as long as veteran Steelers quarterback Aaron Rodgers can stay healthy. However, it appears that Allar will also be behind Rudolph on the Steelers quarterback depth chart, at least at the start of camp. In redraft leagues, Allar is unlikely to provide fantasy-relevant production in 2026. Still, he remains a worthy dynasty stash through his rookie season, given the Steelers' obvious long-term need at quarterback once Rodgers retires.

Pittsburgh Steelers veteran quarterback Aaron Rodgers affirmed on Tuesday that there's "zero debate" that 2026 will be his last season playing football, according to Brooke Pryor of ESPN. "I thought last year might be it," Rodgers said. "And then Mike [McCarthy] got hired, and I talked to the wife, and she said, 'You can do one more year.' I said, 'Well, we'll see if it works out.' And then it kind of all came together." McCarthy coached Rodgers for 13 seasons with the Green Bay Packers, beginning in Rodgers' second NFL season in 2005. The 42-year-old four-time MVP and future Hall of Famer will have a new receiver in Michael Pittman Jr. to work with in 2026, but he won't have running back Kenny Gainwell, who was a key dump-off asset for Rodgers out of the backfield a year ago. Rodgers led the Steelers to the postseason last year and completed 65.7% of his passes for 3,322 yards, 24 touchdowns, and seven interceptions to finish as the fantasy QB19. His situation with old coach McCarthy should be more helpful for fantasy purposes, but Rodgers' fantasy ceiling remains very limited because of his lack of mobility and his decline in downfield aggressiveness. Treat him as a low-end QB2 in two-QB superflex leagues.

Pittsburgh Steelers quarterback Aaron Rodgers was practically glowing when he talked about wide receiver Roman Wilson, according to Alan Saunders. Wilson is heading into his second season with Rodgers as his quarterback. Rodgers said, "I expect him to start to make some splash plays. He did in the spring. I expect him to have a nice camp." Last season, Wilson had 12 catches for 166 yards and two touchdowns on 20 targets. Wilson will be able to get on the field more often this season with head coach Mike McCarthy running the offense. Historically, McCarthy has leaned heavily into 11-personnel, which allows for three receivers to be on the field more often. Wilson could produce career highs statistically across the board this season, but he will face an uphill battle for targets in a crowded receiver room.

Pittsburgh Steelers new head coach Mike McCarthy said the team is going to move wide receiver DK Metcalf around the formation more this year, according to Nick Farabaugh of Penn Live. McCarthy also added that he has been pretty impressed with the chemistry between Metcalf and veteran quarterback Aaron Rodgers. "We need him going....DK can change games," McCarthy said. In his first year in the Steel City in 2025, Metcalf didn't have much help around him and finished with just 59 receptions for a career-low 850 yards and six touchdowns on 99 targets across 15 regular-season starts. The addition of veteran wideout Michael Pittman Jr. will allow Pittsburgh to move Metcalf around more on offense to try to create mismatches for the two-time Pro Bowler. McCarthy's offense should be more friendly volume-wise for Metcalf, but the problem is that the Steelers added more target competition, and Rodgers is no longer the player he once was in his last NFL season. The reality is that Metcalf's fantasy ceiling and floor are much lower, so fantasy managers should be targeting him as a WR3/flex and not a WR2 set for a big bounce-back season.

Pittsburgh Steelers starting nickelback Jalen Ramsey suffered a knee injury during mandatory minicamp, and he will now start training camp on the PUP list, according to ESPN's Steelers reporter Brooke Pryor. General manager Omar Khan told reporters on Tuesday that Ramsey is expected to be out for a couple of weeks to begin camp. At 31 years old, Ramsey tallied the highest tackle total of his 10-year career while adding three sacks in his first season with the Steelers, giving him surprising IDP value after a handful of down years with the Dolphins. Expected to hold a similar role once he returns to full health, the eight-time Pro Bowler and three-time All-Pro should spend plenty of time near the edge of the box, and he represents good value in the later rounds of IDP drafts.

Pittsburgh Steelers 27-year-old running back out of Oklahoma State, Jaylen Warren, finds himself in another timeshare backfield in 2026, even after the Steelers moved on from Kenny Gainwell and brought in 28-year-old Rico Dowdle. Warren finished the 2025 season as the RB16, with 211 carries for 958 rushing yards and six touchdowns. He contributed through the air as well, hauling in 40 of his 45 targets for 333 yards and two touchdowns. It was Warren's best season of his professional career, which spans four years. New Steelers head coach Mike McCarthy and Dowdle spent time together in Dallas in 2024, and Dowdle has now put together back-to-back seasons with over 1,000 rushing yards and five or more total touchdowns. Warren figures to maintain his primary role as the pass-catching back; however, the goal-line work and the timeshare between the two will be sorted out as training camp continues. Neither back is expected to take the lion's share of work, making both backs valuable in what figures to be a run-heavy, short, intermediate passing offense with 42-year-old Aaron Rodgers still under center. Warren remains a valuable fantasy asset in both redraft and dynasty formats heading into the 2026 season.

Pittsburgh Steelers quarterbacks Will Howard and Mason Rudolph could be battling for the "QB2 job and, potentially, a spot on the 53-man roster" in training camp, per Mike DeFabo of The Athletic. A sixth-round pick in the 2025 NFL Draft, Howard battled injury as a rookie and did not see any game action in his first professional season. Aaron Rodgers remains atop the Steelers' depth chart for 2026, leaving Howard unlikely to play a fantasy-relevant role as long as Rodgers remains healthy. The Steelers also drafted quarterback Drew Allar in the third round of the 2026 NFL Draft, leading to speculation that Howard's place on the Pittsburgh roster could be in major jeopardy. While Howard may still end up off the Steelers roster, it appears that he may have a legitimate chance to beat out both Allar and Rudolph for the team's backup job entering 2026. Rudolph has 34 games (19 starts) of NFL experience under his belt, but Howard may be the higher-upside option. In deeper fantasy leagues, Howard could still be worth stashing in case he establishes himself during the preseason.

The Pittsburgh Steelers signed rookie quarterback Drew Allar to his four-year rookie contract on Friday, according to ESPN's Adam Schefter. The Steelers selected Allar with the No. 76 overall pick in the 2026 NFL Draft in April. The team selected Allar in the third round despite taking Will Howard as a developmental quarterback late in the 2025 NFL Draft. The 22-year-old was polarizing among evaluators and seen as a high-ceiling development prospect with elite traits and raw mechanics. The team has worked closely with Allar to adjust his mechanics and footwork to fit head coach Mike McCarthy's offense. Allar will be battling Mason Rudolph and Howard in training camp for the QB2 job behind Aaron Rodgers.

Among 33 qualifying quarterbacks in 2025, Pittsburgh Steelers veteran Aaron Rodgers had the lowest intended air yards per attempt, operating an offense whose passing attack ran primarily through its running backs and tight ends. Of the seven different Steelers players targeted at least 40 times last season, only two were wide receivers, with D.K. Metcalf and Calvin Austin III combining for only 90 total receptions. In reuniting with Rodgers, new head coach Mike McCarthy is expected to implement the heavy 11-personnel usage that has become a staple of his play calling, and the trade for Michael Pittman Jr. and drafting of Germie Bernard in the second round of the 2026 NFL Draft hint at more of a hybrid offense that can put receivers on the field who are capable of finding space in the short to intermediate areas. Now 42 years old, the aggressiveness of the Steelers' offense likely relies on how well Rodgers can hold up physically, but if Pittsburgh can add even a modest vertical element in 2026, the four-time MVP could return usable fantasy value as RotoBaller's QB28.

Pittsburgh Steelers wide receiver DK Metcalf might be trending in the wrong direction in 2026. Metcalf was a two-time Pro Bowler in Seattle before getting traded to the Steelers ahead of the 2025 campaign. Metcalf was underutilized in Pittsburgh with 59 receptions, which was his lowest since his rookie season. He also finished with a career-low 850 receiving yards across 15 games with the Steelers. Metcalf was the top option in Pittsburgh and saw a team-high 99 targets last season. It doesn't help his case that 42-year-old Aaron Rodgers is under center again this season. The Steelers have also added Michael Pittman Jr. and drafted Germie Bernard in the second round of this year's draft. Metcalf has more competition for targets and the same quarterback as the season before. This is a recipe for Metcalf's stats to decline again in 2026.

Pittsburgh Steelers tight end Darnell Washington enjoyed the first top 40 fantasy finish of his young career in 2025, but with changes coming to the Steelers offense ahead of his fourth season, his TE38 result could prove to be a high-water mark. After operating with an extra tight end on the field at one of the league's highest rates in 2025, the Steelers have moved on from offensive coordinator Arthur Smith, with new head coach Mike McCarthy set to call plays and expected to heavily utilize three-receiver sets as he has throughout his career. Pittsburgh traded for two-time 1,000-yard receiver Michael Pittman Jr. and spent a second-round pick on Alabama's Germie Bernard, further suggesting a move away from the 2025 offense that ran primarily through its tight ends and running backs. Veteran Jonnu Smith, who led all Steelers tight ends with 57 targets in 2025, remains unsigned, but with Pittsburgh's offseason moves hinting at a de-emphasis on the position, those vacated looks are more likely to be spread among the new wide receivers. With sixth-year veteran Pat Freiermuth the more likely option to be regularly mixed into the passing offense, Washington is not a player drafters will need to target in 2026.

Former NFL running back Le'Veon Bell, who spent his most productive seasons with the Pittsburgh Steelers, has been jailed in Canton, Ohio, in what has been described as a "courtesy hold for another agency." Bell was taken into custody as part of an arrest warrant issued in the state of Michigan, and while details of that warrant have not been released, he is reportedly being held in the Stark County, Ohio jail. Now 34 years old, Bell last played in the NFL in 2021 for the Baltimore Ravens and Tampa Bay Buccaneers, handling a total of 39 carries across eight total games.

The Pittsburgh Steelers selected Alabama wide receiver Germie Bernard in the second round of the 2026 NFL Draft, and after a number of scant seasons, a team that once had a reputation for never missing at the position again looks to have one of its strongest receiver rooms in years. With the offense running primarily through the running backs and tight ends in Arthur Smith's final season as offensive coordinator, DK Metcalf's 59 catches for 850 yards and six touchdowns all led the position group by a wide margin. With new head coach Mike McCarthy assuming play-calling duties in his reunion with quarterback Aaron Rodgers, there is an expectation for more three-receiver sets and a higher passing volume. And while a 42-year-old Rodgers may no longer have the arm talent that allowed him to reach one of the highest peaks in the history of the league, Bernard's combination of size and speed, along with his dependability and inside-to-outside versatility, make him a perfect fit in an offense looking to push the ball downfield as much as Rodgers' right shoulder will allow. While a bit of an overlapping skill set with Michael Pittman Jr. could limit his ceiling, particularly early in the year, Bernard is practically free in drafts, and at RotoBaller's WR68, he's a player worth taking a late-round swing on in hopes that the Steelers offense could surprise in 2026.

Pittsburgh Steelers tight end Pat Freiermuth could have an expanded role in 2026 in his sixth year with the organization in new head coach Mike McCarthy's offense, according to Ray Fittipaldo of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. Freiermuth took a step back in 2025 in the Steel City in the first year with veteran QB Aaron Rodgers running the offense, and he had to share valuable targets with both Jonnu Smith and Darnell Washington, which led to a disappointing 41-486-4 line in 17 regular-season games (eight starts) for fantasy managers. The Steelers added veteran receiver Michael Pittman Jr., who figures to be a big part of the Steelers' passing attack this year, but Smith and running back Kenneth Gainwell, who had a career-high 73 receptions in 2025, are gone. With all that said, fantasy managers still probably shouldn't consider Freiermuth as much more than a low-end TE2 target in TE-premium leagues. The former second-rounder in 2021 out of Penn State has never exceeded 732 receiving yards or seven touchdowns in his five seasons, and Rodgers hasn't typically relied heavily on the tight end position in his Hall of Fame career.

Jack Markowski of Sports Illustrated writes that Pittsburgh Steelers wide receiver Roman Wilson has a lot to prove this summer in training camp after failing to take advantage of his opportunity in the passing game in 2025, finishing with just 12 catches on 21 targets for 166 yards and two touchdowns in 13 regular-season games (four starts). The key for Wilson is to build up his chemistry with future Hall of Fame quarterback Aaron Rodgers in new head coach Mike McCarthy's offense. But even if Wilson can do that, he won't be guaranteed a regular role on offense after the offseason additions of veteran Michael Pittman Jr. and rookie Germie Bernard. The only advantage Wilson has is the fact that he played with Rodgers last year, which could give him a leg up over the polished Bernard going into Week 1 of the 2026 season. The 25-year-old former third-rounder in 2024 out of the University of Michigan is blessed with quickness and the ability to play inside and outside, but he's currently outside of RotoBaller's top-100 WR rankings after his disappointing 2025 finish.

Pittsburgh Steelers new head coach Mike McCarthy said he views wide receiver Michael Pittman Jr. as a "versatile pass-catcher who can run all routes," which is a preference for receivers in McCarthy's offense, according to Chris Harlan of the Pittsburgh Tribune-Live. In his final season with the Indianapolis Colts in 2025, Pittman played 283 of his 615 snaps in the slot. In his six seasons with the Colts, the 28-year-old former second-rounder out of USC caught 485 passes for 5,254 yards and 25 touchdowns, but he regressed in 2025, finishing with an 80-784-7 line in 17 games. His 784 receiving yards were his fewest since his rookie year in 2020. Pittsburgh made an aggressive move to acquire Pittman from the Colts in a March trade, then signed him to a three-year, $59 million contract to give DK Metcalf some help. Last year, Metcalf led the Steelers with 59 catches on 99 targets, but the team lacked a reliable option to complement him. McCarthy is hoping Pittman is that man. A bounce-back campaign could be coming for Pittman, but with veteran QB Aaron Rodgers in the last season of his storied career, fantasy managers shouldn't just assume that Pittman will bounce back as a reliable weekly fantasy starter. RotoBaller currently has the former Colts wideout ranked as the No. 41 fantasy WR for 2026.

After being selected in the third round of the 2025 NFL Draft, Pittsburgh Steelers running back Kaleb Johnson's rookie season was a major disappointment. Johnson spent the entire year as the Steelers' RB3, recording 78 scrimmage yards on 29 touches across 10 games. Entering 2026, Johnson once again projects to open the year third on Pittsburgh's running back depth chart, behind veteran backs Jaylen Warren and Rico Dowdle. However, the Steelers have a new coaching staff in place with Mike McCarthy replacing Mike Tomlin, which could provide Johnson with the clean slate he needs to get his NFL career back on track. The 23-year-old demonstrated a three-down skill set during his college career at the University of Iowa, recording 1,725 yards from scrimmage and 23 touchdowns across 12 games for the Hawkeyes in 2024. With his value at a low point, rebuilding dynasty managers may want to look to buy low on Johnson.

Pittsburgh Steelers running back Rico Dowdle is entering his first season in Pittsburgh after signing a two-year contract worth over $12 million in free agency. With the Steelers, Dowdle appears likely to operate as part of a split backfield with incumbent running back Jaylen Warren. While Warren logged 1,291 scrimmage yards and eight touchdowns for the Steelers last year, Pittsburgh has a new coaching staff in place for the 2026 season. Dowdle has proven himself to be a capable three-down back in recent years, recording 1,328 scrimmage yards and five touchdowns for the Dallas Cowboys in 2024 and 1,373 scrimmage yards and seven touchdowns for the Carolina Panthers in 2025. While Warren may handle most of the receiving work for Pittsburgh, Dowdle profiles as the better rusher between the tackles and at the goal line. Even while splitting touches with Panthers back Chuba Hubbard in 2025, Dowdle finished as the RB23 in per-game PPR scoring. At his current redraft ADP of RB32, Dowdle profiles as a value selection for fantasy managers.