PittsburghSteelers
Nobody has won more, and a season here is measured against that rather than a preseason number. DK Metcalf is a physical mismatch most weeks and Jaylen Warren runs harder than anyone his size ought to. Terrible Towels, one family running the place since the Depression, and pressure that still travels.
The fantasy roster, best rated first
Fantasy-relevant players only. Quarterbacks, backs, receivers and tight ends, which is what HexMetrics prices. None of them sit inside the league's top 25, none inside the top 50, 4 inside the top 100.
How roster strength is built: the seven slots behind 67.6
HexScore rates a player against others at his own position, so the seven below are not added up: each is weighted by what its slot is worth to an offence, and the weights are in the last column.
The case for the 2026 season
Nobody in the top fifty, the second-best projected defense in football, and a standard that has not moved
Pittsburgh have 0 players inside the league's top 50 and 0 inside the top 25, which is the plainest statement of the problem available. Roster strength reads 67.6, 26 of 32. Against that, the forward-looking defensive composite reads 2.17 and ranks 2 of 32, second in the league. This club has been assembled the way it has been assembled here for sixty years, and the question is whether that is still an answer.
The standard, and what is being measured against it
4 players inside the league's top 100 of 457, and none inside the top 50. The highest-rated player here is Jaylen Warren at 88.3, 63 overall. That is a roster without a star, and this market has historically been comfortable with that in a way other markets are not, because the standard here has never been a most-valuable-player award.
The value-weighted age is 27.9, 31 of 32 counting youngest first, which is the second-oldest in football, with 15.1% of the rated talent under twenty-five. A roster without a star and without youth is a roster making a specific bet on the present, and it should be graded as one.
The defense that changes the other numbers
The forward composite reads 2.17 at 2 of 32. The backward pair is more ordinary: pass defense 16, rush defense 22. Team Power blends both sides and reads 72, 21 of 32.
I believe a defense that generates pressure changes the value of every offensive player it plays alongside, including its own, because it shortens fields and it removes the situations in which a mediocre passing game gets exposed. That is a football argument rather than a measurement, and this site does not measure it. I am stating it as a belief and labelling it as one, which is more than the number does.
Two backs, and a question this site is not asking
Jaylen Warren rates 88.3 and Rico Dowdle rates 86.9, behind a line ranked 9 of 32 at a rush efficiency of 0.74. Two backs above eighty-five with a top-ten line in front of them is a genuine asset and the club figure barely notices, because the second back slot carries 7% and that is the least of the seven.
I think the running game is worth more to a real football team than to a fantasy one and I am willing to say the two questions differ. This page measures the second one. A club that can run for four minutes with a lead in December is doing something the weighting on this page cannot see, and I would rather name that limit than argue the weighting is wrong. It is not wrong. It is answering a different question.
The claim, against the standard rather than a projection
The quarterback slot rates 49.6, 189 of 457, at 42 years old. I am sceptical of quarterback-carousel optimism and of the idea that a passing offense can be assembled in one offseason, and I have been on the record about that through several attempts at exactly this.
Strength of schedule ranks 24 of 32 counting easiest first and 16 of 17 games are outdoors, 32 of 32 for indoor football and therefore the fewest in the league. The bye is week 9. So the case is the one this club has always made: the second-best projected defense in football, a top-ten line, two backs who can hold a lead, and cold outdoor games in December against clubs built for September. It is a January case rather than a February one, and measured against the standard this city actually keeps, that is a season worth having and not a season worth celebrating.
The club record
74 players. Read from www.steelers.com on 2026-09-12. Not a HexMetrics rating: this is what the club publishes.
Coaching staff
27 coachesHead Coach
- Head CoachMike McCarthy
Offense
- Offensive CoordinatorBrian Angelichio
- Senior Offensive AssistantFrank Cignetti Jr.
- Quarterbacks CoachTom Arth
- Offensive Line CoachJames Campen
- Running Backs CoachRamon Chinyoung Sr.
- Wide Receivers CoachAdam Henry
- Tight EndsRobert Kugler
- Assistant Offensive Line CoachJahri Evans
- Game Management/QuarterbacksTim Berbenich
- Offensive Quality ControlEric Simonelli
Defense
- Defensive CoordinatorPatrick Graham
- Assistant Head Coach/SecondaryJoe Whitt Jr.
- Defensive Pass Game Coordinator/Defensive BacksJason Simmons
- Outside LinebackersC.J. Ah You
- Inside Linebackers CoachScott McCurley
- Defensive Line CoachDomata Peko
- Defensive AssistantShawn Howe
- Defensive AssistantPat Reilly
- Special Teams CoordinatorDanny Crossman
- Special Teams Quality ControlDarian Thompson
Chief Of Staff
- Chief of StaffSteve Scarnecchia
- Coaching AssistantMaddie Johnson
Strength And Conditioning
- Head Strength and ConditioningMark Lovat
- Director of Performance Integration and Sports ScienceGrant Thorne
- Assistant Strength and Conditioning CoachJustus Galac
- Assistant Strength and Conditioning CoachAbe Munayer
Read from www.steelers.com on 2026-09-12.
Depth chart
Offense
- WR
- DK Metcalf86.4
- Ben Skowronek
- LT
- Troy Fautanu
- LG
- Mason McCormick
- Gennings Dunker
- C
- Zach Frazier
- Ryan McCollum
- RG
- Spencer Anderson
- Brock Hoffman
- RT
- Dylan Cook
- Max Iheanachor
- TE
- Pat Freiermuth50.1
- Darnell Washington24.1
- Robert Tonyan
- WR
- Roman Wilson8.3
- Kaden Wetjen
- WR
- Michael Pittman Jr.80.5
- Germie Bernard52.5
- QB
- Aaron Rodgers49.6
- Mason Rudolph
- Will Howard0.3
- Drew Allar7.5
- RB
- Jaylen Warren88.3
- Rico Dowdle86.9
- Eli Heidenreich
- FB
- Riley Nowakowski10.8
Defense
- DE
- Derrick Harmon
- Gabriel Rubio
- Kevin Jobity Jr.
- NT
- Keeanu Benton
- Sebastian Joseph-Day
- DT
- Cameron Heyward
- Yahya Black
- LOLB
- T.J. Watt
- LILB
- Patrick Queen
- Carson Bruener
- RILB
- Payton Wilson
- Cole Holcomb
- ROLB
- Alex Highsmith
- Jack Sawyer
- OLB
- Nick Herbig
- CB
- Joey Porter Jr.
- Asante Samuel Jr.
- NCB
- Jalen Ramsey
- Brandin Echols
- CB
- Jamel Dean
- Daylen Everette
- S
- Jaquan Brisker
- Rayshawn Jenkins
- Robert Spears-Jennings
Special Teams
- K
- Chris Boswell
- P
- Cameron Johnston
- LS
- Christian Kuntz
- H
- Cameron Johnston
- KR
- Kaden Wetjen
- Jaylen Warren88.3
- Rico Dowdle86.9
- PR
- Kaden Wetjen
- Rico Dowdle86.9
Full roster
13 of 58 rated| # | Player | Pos | Ht | Wt | Age | Exp | College |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Active54 | |||||||
| Offense | |||||||
| 2 | Mason Rudolph | QB | 6-5 | 235 | 31 | 9 | Oklahoma State |
| 8 | Aaron RodgersRated | QB | 6-2 | 223 | 42 | 22 | California |
| 16 | Drew AllarRated | QB | 6-5 | 228 | 22 | R | Penn State |
| 18 | Will HowardRated | QB | 6-4 | 235 | 24 | 2 | Ohio State |
| 13 | Rico DowdleRated | RB | 5-11 | 218 | 28 | 7 | South Carolina |
| 30 | Jaylen WarrenRated | RB | 5-8 | 215 | 27 | 5 | Oklahoma State |
| 37 | Riley NowakowskiRated | FB | 6-2 | 250 | 24 | R | Indiana |
| 4 | DK MetcalfRated | WR | 6-4 | 235 | 28 | 8 | Mississippi |
| 10 | Kaden Wetjen | WR | 5-9 | 196 | 24 | R | Iowa |
| 11 | Michael Pittman Jr.Rated | WR | 6-4 | 223 | 28 | 7 | USC |
| 14 | Roman WilsonRated | WR | 6-0 | 192 | 25 | 3 | Michigan |
| 15 | Ben Skowronek | WR | 6-3 | 224 | 29 | 6 | Notre Dame |
| 17 | Germie BernardRated | WR | 6-1 | 206 | 22 | R | Alabama |
| 80 | Darnell WashingtonRated | TE | 6-7 | 264 | 25 | 4 | Georgia |
| 85 | Robert Tonyan | TE | 6-5 | 240 | 32 | 8 | Indiana State |
| 88 | Pat FreiermuthRated | TE | 6-5 | 258 | 27 | 6 | Penn State |
| 60 | Dylan Cook | OT | 6-5 | 305 | 28 | 3 | Montana |
| 71 | Max Iheanachor | OT | 6-6 | 321 | 22 | R | Arizona State |
| 76 | Troy Fautanu | OT | 6-4 | 317 | 25 | 3 | Washington |
| 66 | Mason McCormick | G | 6-5 | 315 | 26 | 3 | South Dakota State |
| 67 | Brock Hoffman | G | 6-4 | 318 | 27 | 5 | Virginia Tech |
| 73 | Gennings Dunker | G | 6-5 | 319 | 23 | R | Iowa |
| 54 | Zach Frazier | C | 6-3 | 310 | 25 | 3 | West Virginia |
| 62 | Ryan McCollum | C | 6-5 | 300 | 28 | 4 | Texas A&M |
| 74 | Spencer Anderson | OL | 6-5 | 305 | 26 | 4 | Maryland |
| 29 | Eli Heidenreich | RB/WR | 6-0 | 198 | 23 | R | Navy |
| Defense | |||||||
| 96 | Gabriel Rubio | DE | 6-5 | 321 | 23 | R | Notre Dame |
| 92 | Kevin Jobity Jr. | DL | 6-4 | 300 | 22 | R | Syracuse |
| 94 | Yahya Black | DL | 6-5 | 330 | 24 | 2 | Iowa |
| 69 | Sebastian Joseph-Day | DT | 6-4 | 310 | 31 | 8 | Rutgers |
| 95 | Keeanu Benton | DT | 6-4 | 309 | 25 | 4 | Wisconsin |
| 97 | Cameron Heyward | DT | 6-5 | 295 | 37 | 16 | Ohio State |
| 99 | Derrick Harmon | DT | 6-4 | 313 | 23 | 2 | Oregon |
| 6 | Patrick Queen | LB | 6-0 | 230 | 27 | 7 | LSU |
| 33 | Jack Sawyer | LB | 6-5 | 260 | 24 | 2 | Ohio State |
| 41 | Payton Wilson | LB | 6-4 | 242 | 26 | 3 | N.C. State |
| 44 | Carson Bruener | LB | 6-2 | 226 | 25 | 2 | Washington |
| 51 | Nick Herbig | LB | 6-2 | 240 | 24 | 4 | Wisconsin |
| 55 | Cole Holcomb | LB | 6-1 | 240 | 30 | 8 | North Carolina |
| 56 | Alex Highsmith | LB | 6-4 | 242 | 29 | 7 | Charlotte |
| 90 | T.J. Watt | LB | 6-4 | 252 | 31 | 10 | Wisconsin |
| 5 | Jalen Ramsey | CB | 6-1 | 208 | 31 | 11 | Florida State |
| 22 | Asante Samuel Jr. | CB | 5-10 | 180 | 26 | 6 | Florida State |
| 23 | Daylen Everette | CB | 6-1 | 196 | 22 | R | Georgia |
| 24 | Joey Porter Jr. | CB | 6-2 | 193 | 26 | 4 | Penn State |
| 26 | Brandin Echols | CB | 5-10 | 179 | 28 | 6 | Kentucky |
| 35 | Jamel Dean | CB | 6-1 | 206 | 29 | 8 | Auburn |
| 3 | Jaquan Brisker | S | 6-1 | 204 | 27 | 5 | Penn State |
| 20 | Rayshawn Jenkins | S | 6-1 | 220 | 32 | 10 | Miami |
| 28 | Robert Spears-Jennings | S | 6-2 | 205 | 22 | R | Oklahoma |
| 40 | Doneiko Slaughter | DB | 6-0 | 190 | 24 | 1 | Arkansas |
| Special teams | |||||||
| 9 | Chris BoswellRated | K | 6-2 | 185 | 35 | 12 | Rice |
| 19 | Cameron Johnston | P | 5-11 | 194 | 34 | 9 | Ohio State |
| 46 | Christian Kuntz | LS | 6-1 | 228 | 32 | 6 | Duquesne |
| Reserve/Injured3 | |||||||
| 68 | Jack Driscoll | OT | 6-5 | 312 | 29 | 6 | Auburn |
| 25 | DeShon Elliott | S | 6-1 | 210 | 29 | 9 | Texas |
| 91 | Logan Lee | DL | 6-5 | 291 | 26 | 3 | Iowa |
| Reserve/Physically Unable to Perform1 | |||||||
| 34 | Donte Kent | CB | 5-10 | 189 | 24 | 2 | Central Michigan |
Practice squad
0 of 16 rated| # | Player | Pos | Ht | Wt | Age | Exp | College |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Practice Squad16 | |||||||
| Offense | |||||||
| 21 | Travis Homer | RB | 5-10 | 211 | 28 | 8 | Miami |
| 31 | Lew Nichols | RB | 5-10 | 220 | 25 | 1 | Central Michigan |
| 84 | Max Hurleman | WR | 5-11 | 200 | 24 | 1 | Notre Dame |
| 87 | Brandon Smith | WR | 6-2 | 215 | 27 | 1 | Iowa |
| 89 | Brandon Johnson | WR | 6-2 | 208 | 28 | 3 | UCF |
| 81 | Lake McRee | TE | 6-4 | 250 | 24 | R | USC |
| 72 | Doug Nester | OL | 6-6 | 306 | 26 | 1 | West Virginia |
| 79 | Steven Jones | OL | 6-5 | 342 | 26 | 1 | Oregon |
| Defense | |||||||
| 65 | Kyler Baugh | DT | 6-3 | 295 | 24 | 1 | Minnesota |
| 93 | Esezi Otomewo | DT | 6-5 | 282 | 27 | 4 | Minnesota |
| 45 | Julius Welschof | LB | 6-6 | 265 | 29 | 1 | Charlotte |
| 53 | Jacoby Windmon | LB | 6-2 | 250 | 25 | 2 | Michigan State |
| 57 | Bradyn Swinson | LB | 6-4 | 255 | 24 | 2 | LSU |
| 38 | Bishop Fitzgerald | S | 5-11 | 201 | 23 | R | USC |
| 42 | Car'lin Vigers | DB | 6-2 | 200 | 26 | 1 | Louisiana-Monroe |
| 49 | Sebastian Castro | DB | 5-11 | 203 | 25 | 2 | Iowa |
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