New Pittsburgh Steelers head coach Mike McCarthy wasted no time in working with General Manager Omar Khan to fill several significant roster needs via the first round of free agency and the 2026 NFL Draft. And while we view almost every position unit as better than last season, there are still spots on the roster where Pittsburgh could find an upgrade or depth via free agency. Here are our top three.
We love the addition of Michael Pittman Jr. and rookie Germie Bernard but making the depth chart better than last season doesn’t make it good. There’s no certainty about Bernard being ready to contribute as a rookie and behind him, there is a return specialist, a special teamer and a completely unproven young player. Another vet here makes sense.
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We almost didn’t include tight end here after seeing how little McCarthy has historically run 12 personnel but this need stands. The Steelers have a pass catcher in Pat Freiermuth, a blocker in Darnell Washington but need a veteran third guy who can do a bit of both.
The Steelers typically keep six defensive linemen on their 53-man roster. If we assume Cam Heyward, Derrick Harmon, Keeanu Benton, Yahya Black and Sebastian Joseph-Day make the cut, that leaves one spot open. Is there a player on the roster who could fill that spot? Of course. But could the Steelers do better? Also, of course.
This article originally appeared on Steelers Wire: 3 positions the Steelers must still address in free agency
