Power Ranking The Steelers’ Position Groups: Offense

It’s the NFL offseason, which corresponds with list season as there’s not much else to talk about between OTAs and training camp.

It’s time to revisit an annual exercise on BTSC: ranking the Steelers’ position groups before the season. To be clear, this is a ranking of how I see the groups as they stand right now; upside was taken into account a little bit, but the understanding is that this list will reorder as the team evolves in-season.

Today, we’ll look at the offense:

5. Quarterback

Quarterback ranking the lowest is a reflection on a past-his-prime Aaron Rodgers, sure, but also that every other offensive position group is looking rather strong entering 2026. Rodgers wasn’t bad by any means in 2025, but the quarterback position remains the main reason why the Steelers still aren’t taken that seriously as contenders.

Rodgers was likely the best available starting quarterback option for the Steelers over the offseason, and his arm and veteran savvy were key ingredients in some of Pittsburgh’s most hard-fought wins last year. Still, his lack of pushing the ball downfield and diminishing mobility keep him firmly out of the upper tier of NFL quarterbacks.

Behind Rodgers, young backups Drew Allar and Will Howard remain intriguing options at best — neither have as much as taken a snap in the preseason at this point in their respective careers.

4. Offensive line

The offensive line was a tough position group to rank, because based on upside this group could easily emerge as one of the best in the entire league over the next few seasons. But for now? Questions remain regarding how hot of a start they’ll get off to.

Troy Fautanu, Mason McCormick, and Zach Frazier are a reliable young core, but two of those players are likely to make a position change ahead of the new season. The other starting spots are up in the air, and will be taken up by some combination of Dylan Cook, Spencer Anderson, Brock Hoffman, Max Iheanachor, and maybe even the recovering Broderick Jones. Upside and depth are reasons to be excited. Inexperience and developing chemistry remain concerns.

Still, the returning players in this unit will be looking to build off what was a promising foundation in 2025. They were undoubtedly helped by the league’s fastest time to throw, but still allowed the lowest pressure rate in the NFL by a wide margin. The run game will likely be where new offensive line coach James Campen hopes to take the biggest strides: While not a tell-all stat, the Steelers ranked a lowly 28th in the league when it came to yards before contact in 2025.

3. Wide receiver

The Steelers’ wide receiver room is just middle-of-the-road, but even that is a massive improvement over where it’s been in recent seasons. DK Metcalf is a low-end WR1, but still a freak athlete who can beat defenses deep and is always a threat to take a short pass to the house. Michael Pittman Jr. complements Metcalf well, excelling as a possession receiver who can make tough grabs through contact. The rookie Germie Bernard rounds out a strong top three, with a well-rounded skill set and dangerous yards-after-catch ability.

Outside of the presumed starter trio, however, the depth isn’t as inspiring. In Year 3, Roman Wilson is hoping to finally emerge as a contributor after falling behind names such as Adam Thielen and Marquez Valdes-Scantling on the depth chart last year. Ben Skowronek and the rookie Kaden Wetjen offer some value, but most of it is on special teams. After Metcalf, there isn’t a ton of big play ability in the room, and after Pittman, there isn’t much proven NFL production, either.

2. Tight end

The Steelers have two tight ends in the NFL’s top 15 highest paid at the position — it’s no surprise this group ranks high. Pat Freiermuth has been somewhat underused during his time in Pittsburgh, but he remains a potent seam threat when targeted and should see a bump in production in Mike McCarthy’s offense (Freiermuth also won’t be losing snaps to Jonnu Smith again).

The recently-extended Darnell Washington is among the best blockers at his position, and took strides as a pass catcher in 2025, logging a career-best 364 receiving yards. He’s not the route runner Freiermuth is, but tends to be good for one earth-shaking catch and run per game.

Behind the top two, the depth is a bit shaky. Robert Tonyan, Lake McRee, JJ Galbreath, and Jaheim Bell might not even make the final roster, while fifth-round rookie Riley Nowakowski is more of a fullback. Still, Pittsburgh’s starting duo ranks among the best in the league.

1. Running back

Running back is probably the most underrated position on the Steelers’ roster. After adding former Panther Rico Dowdle in free agency, Pittsburgh now has two backs who surpassed 1,200 yards from scrimmage last year. Warren is the bigger dual threat of the two, but is a hard-nosed runner himself with elite contact balance. He was still spelled by Kenneth Gainwell quite a bit in 2025, but showed he could handle a larger workload, playing in 16 regular season games with a career-high 211 carries. Warren added 40 receptions, and importantly cut down on his past fumbling concerns, losing the ball just once despite the increase in touches.

Dowdle is coming off back-t0-back 1,000-yard rushing seasons averaging 4.6 yards per carry. He’s a downhill bruiser who rarely gets tackled for loss, and showed a knack for taking over games in 2025 with three 130-plus-yard performances. The minimal gap between him and Warren should allow the Steelers to easily rotate backs without losing much on the field.

Warren and Dowdle will be an excellent starting duo for the Steelers, and there are still some interesting names behind them on the depth chart. Kaleb Johnson disappointed as a third-round rookie in 2025, but has a chance to restart his pro career on the right foot under a new coaching staff. Travis Homer is a strong special teamer with plenty of NFL experience, and seventh-round rookie Eli Heidenreich has immense potential as both a runner and receiver if he can make the jump to NFL-level football.

Pittsburgh still might not have elite-level talent in its skill position rooms, but the team certainly has enough pieces entering 2026 to potentially field a dangerous offense.

How would you rank the Steelers’ offensive position rooms? Which groups will rise and fall over the season? Let us know in the comments.