Aaron Rodgers is officially back in the fold as the Pittsburgh Steelers are in the midst of their voluntary OTA program in preparation for Mike McCarthy 's inaugural season in the Steel City. With that in mind, it's time for my yearly ranking of the top players on the team entering the 2026 season. This is always a fun exercise that encourages healthy debate about the strongest parts of the roster—players on the rise, moving in the opposite direction, or just simply holding serve.
Without trying to bury the lede, the main takeaway that came to mind while constructing this list is that the talent gap between the offense and defense is shrinking, which makes sense considering where they've used the majority of their draft capital during the Omar Khan era. You'll see that reflected below, and I think it's a trend that will likely continue given the trajectory of some of the youngsters, coupled with a more offensive-minded head coach. Let's dive into it.
Cornerback is the most volatile position in the league year-over-year, but Dean's been one of the steadiest contributors around the league since cracking the starting lineup in 2020 and should give the Steelers a much-needed boost at the CB2 spot. Size, strength, and physicality are all hallmarks of his game, showing up in coverage as well as run support. He's patient with his technique in press coverage, has the length to disrupt the timing of the route, and possesses the speed to carry guys vertically. He remains a remarkably reliable tackler, with a career 6.5% missed tackle rate. Dean isn't a natural playmaker on the back end but still has the tools to take on a more demanding role in Patrick Graham's scheme if he can stay healthy.
The Oklahoma State product was a great find as an undrafted free agent and remains one of the more underrated backs in the league from my vantage point for a few reasons. Among 49 qualifying tailbacks in 2025, he finished 15th in EPA/rush, 19th in success rate, and 8th in total missed tackles forced. There might be a dozen bigger, more physically gifted runners in the game, but Warren's ability to thrive on all three days makes him incredibly useful. He has outstanding eyes in pass protection and brings the thunder on impact, which is critical to keeping the quarterback upright. I thought he was the Steelers' most consistent skill player last year, and he's on a contract that should continue to age beautifully.
Receivers can either be beneficiaries or victims of their own circumstances, particularly as it relates to the quality of their quarterback play, both of which were true for Metcalf last season. The Steelers' dink-and-dunk passing game showed us an element of his game that was rarely on display in Seattle as he averaged a career-high 7.1 yards after catch per attempt. On the flip side, he only hauled in six receptions over 20+ air yards, his fewest as a pro. The hope is that Metcalf's gravitational tilting of coverages, due to his rare combination of acceleration/top speed for his size, will pay dividends for Pittsburgh's reworked receiver room. There are frustrating elements of his game that exist, and I'd like to see him get back to dominating press coverage, but his success is largely dependent on the Steelers finding a passer capable of maximizing his skill set in the near future.
After going back through and charting the Steelers edge rushers, I came to the conclusion that the 24-year old is already their best one-on-one pass rusher and definitely their most versatile. He's got the burst/bend to threaten the outside shoulder and is absolutely lethal on two-way gos because of his lateral agility. He's an effective looper on stunts; the Steelers experimented with kicking him inside as the spinner on passing downs, allowing him to wreck guards with quickness or slick cross-chop. The narrative surrounding his ability to hold up against the run has been massively overblown, but even if that will never become a strength, he's at least passable. The biggest question remaining is what all of this looks like as a full-time player over the course of a 17+ game season, but he's deserving of a big payday on the horizon.
Highsmith's place among the NFL's edge rusher hierarchy has been well-defined, as he's been one of the best sidekicks over the past five years now, with 2025 being no different. The former third-round selection led the Steelers in sack rate (3.1%) and pressure rate (14.5%) last season, but it was how his game evolved that was most encouraging. From his week one onslaught versus the New York Jets onward, Highsmith added more of a power element to his game that was a particularly effective changeup to his typical high-side approach. He's dependable against the run or as a spot dropper and based on what I see on social media, he's become a bit underrated amongst his own fan base. Nagging soft tissue injuries are a concern, but otherwise you know exactly what he brings to the table.
No cornerback in the NFL forced more incompletions in man coverage last season than Porter, with his magnum opus coming in the playoff loss to the Texans as he helped shut down Nico Collins and company. Since entering the league, he's cleaned up his footwork at the line of scrimmage, and it's allowed him to weaponize his length, both through the route and at the catch point. This is a tricky one from a valuation perspective because when it's a 1v1 situation, the film is elite, but he just doesn't provide all that much value in other areas such as zone coverage or in run support. With that being said, youth and experience are on his side, and even subtle improvements in those other areas would not only vault him higher on this list but perhaps also garner more attention in the national media spectrum. His new deal will be pricey, but I think he's even more valuable to the Steelers than he would be in a different schematic environment.
As you can see, last offseason, I was still banking on a bounce-back campaign from the future Hall of Famer, but that never really came to fruition as he posted the lowest sack rate (1.7%) and second-lowest pressure rate (10.1%) of his career. Offensive coordinators still show a ton of respect for his talents by frequently sending chip help in his direction, to which there's some give and take: the attention that he draws does slant the numbers in favor of the defense, but it also effectively neutralizes his capacity to cause havoc. Watt remains a good run defender and calculated risk taker to create chaos in the backfield and still owns an innate ability to manufacture game-changing plays, evidenced by his five turnovers forced in just 14 games played. Now entering his age-32 season, we'll see if he's able to evolve his game in order to further enhance his legacy amongst the all-time greats.
Don't let Fautanu's "welcome to the NFL" moment, courtesy of superstars Will Anderson Jr. and Danielle Hunter , cloud your perception of how well he played during the regular season. He allowed pressure on just 6.1% of his pass-blocking snaps last season, 5th-best among right tackles with at least 200 reps per Next Gen Stats. Keep in mind that this all occurred in what was essentially his rookie season while swapping sides in the process. His explosiveness stands out in a major way on film, and his hands are extremely fast and skilled, with a snatch-trap technique that he deploys against power rushers attempting to work down his midline. Throughout the season, Fautanu made some impact blocks in the zone run game, but I want to see him sustain blocks later in the rep at a higher clip come fall. He's still only scratching the surface of what he could become, and that's contending for the best tackle in Steelers franchise history.
If it weren't for Miami Dolphins center Aaron Brewer having a career year in a perfect ecosystem for his abilities, Frazier would have made second-team All-Pro on my ballot for his work in 2025. All of the positive traits that were on display from his rookie year carried over to his sophomore season: the snap-to-go speed off the ball to reach landmarks, his knack for winning the leverage battle in every engagement, and how he strains to finish blocks through the whistle. Frazier also took strides in pass protection, not just individually, but in terms of picking up stunts/twists that gave the Steelers' interior some issues the year prior. With Dexter Lawrence en route to Cincinnati and Baltimore 's Justin Madubuike on his way back from injury, trench warfare enthusiasts are looking forward to more heavyweight bouts in the near future. There are plenty of accolades on the way, potentially including the top spot on this list when it gets updated next offseason.
The Steelers defense fell woefully short of the historic expectations they placed on themselves, but Heyward was rightfully absolved of any blame. In his 15th season with the club, the veteran accumulated 50 pressures (t-9th) and 32 run stops (t-2nd), once again finishing among elite interior defensive linemen from a statistical standpoint. Pittsburgh's run defense was notably worse to the point where they couldn't reduce his snap count as much as they would've liked, with the unit allowing 4.48 yards per carry with him off the field, as opposed to 4.17 with him on it. He's accomplished enough to wear a gold jacket in Canton one day with a Super Bowl ring, or at least some semblance of postseason success, the only thing missing on his resume. Father Time is undefeated, but Heyward is giving him a run for his money.
This article originally appeared on Steelers Now : Bell: Ranking Steelers Top 10 Players Entering 2026
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