The Steelers Aren’t Going to Change my Expectations for 2025…but 2026?
Here’s God’s honest truth about myself: I don’t know a damn thing about the top quarterback prospects that are expected to be available in the 2026 draft. I have studied the prospects for this year’s draft, and I can identify a lot of their strengths and weaknesses. I can see with my eyeballs that pretty much all of them are going to be projects; projects that I don’t think anyone trusts Mike Tomlin or Arthur Smith to take on at this juncture. So, I figure it’s probably best for my mental health that I maintain tapered expectations for this team this year, because next year, according to the “experts”, the QB class is going to be much stronger.
Despite the perceived negligence surrounding the QB position, Omar Khan has made some moves so far this week that have, at the very least, made things interesting for us, and made good on my assumption that the Steelers absolutely intend to try and compete this year. Which brings me to DeKaylin Zecharius Metcalf…
It’s so funny, because in a post I shared on this platform last week (albeit in an emotional tirade about the state of the franchise), I said the words: “what receiver in their right mind would sign a deal with the Pittsburgh Steelers right now?” Well, it turns out that money talks, because the very next day, the Pittsburgh Steelers traded our 2nd round pick in the 2025 NFL Draft (plus a late round pick swap) to the Seattle Seahawks for DK Metcalf, and he will sign a 5 year, $150M contract tying him to the Steelers for quite some time. A move like this makes clear the Steelers intention to stay relevant in 2025, and also protects the future of our offense as they build around a young offensive line, and now two big-time receivers (assuming George Pickens is to remain on our roster beyond this season). The QB situation is what it is, and we still don’t know who will be throwing passes in the black and gold this season, but an article from Alan Saunders of Steelers Now made me feel a hell of a lot better about it beyond this season. To sum the article up quickly, the Steelers seem to be stockpiling compensatory picks in the 2026 NFL Draft from the loss of guys like Najee Harris, Dan Moore, etc., and those picks can be used to move up into the top 5 in 2026 if there’s a QB that we love in that draft. So, when the Steelers inevitably overachieve and underachieve at the same time this season, we don’t need to stress about our positioning in the 2026 draft as long as we hang on to 4 of those compensatory picks (one of which figures to be a 3rd rounder). However, adding DK immediately gives our offense a significant boost, as defenses won’t be able to stack boxes and stop the run against us like they’ve been able to do for the past several years.
The rest of the additions the Steelers have made thus far in free agency are fairly indicative of a team that is interested in immediate results, and not so much beyond. Take, for example, the signing of the former Philadelphia Eagles CB Darius Slay, who we signed to a one-year, $10M fully guaranteed deal. Slay was still playing some DAMN good football in 2024, but at 34 years old, there’s no way we can reasonably expect him to be with this team beyond this year. A move like this tells me that they want to add some immediate help at a position of weakness without completely moving on from Cory Trice Jr. who is a young guy on our squad that I (and seemingly the team) have lofty expectations for in the future. The same can be said about the addition of CB Brandin Echols, who is a fairly proven ball hawk, despite the fact that his aggressiveness can get him in trouble at times. Again, to me, he is simply a solid depth piece, but not somebody that I think will be in the long-term plans for the team. I’d still like to see them add a guy like Jacob Parrish in the draft next month, and build around the promising core of Porter-Trice-rookie at the CB position.
The last of the Steelers’ additions in free agency (so far) include LB Malik Harrison (to fill the void left by fan-favorite Elandon Roberts) and RB Kenneth Gainwell. Both of these signings leave a bad taste in my mouth, to be perfectly honest, when I consider the guys they’ll be replacing. Elandon Roberts was one of the most consistent players on our defense over the past two seasons, and his production will be SORELY missed. As for Gainwell, he will join Jaylen Warren, and probably a rookie from the draft, to create a committee of RBs to replace the workhorse that was Najee Harris. Naj’s production hasn’t been what fans would’ve wanted from a first-round pick, but I think it says more about the state of our team over the past few years (and the way he was used) than it does about his actual ability. He found himself in the perfect place with the Los Angeles Chargers, and they’ll be a better team because of what he will bring.
All-in-all, I like what Omar Khan has done thus far. Of course, the quarterback debacle is absolutely frustrating, but I think the additions of DK Metcalf and Big Play Darius Slay (mainly to be a leader by example for JPJ and Cory Trice) are going impact our team for the next several years, which is an exciting thing to think about. But, the quarterback thing………… face palm
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