Steelers' offseason moves hint at Mike McCarthy's offensive plan

PITTSBURGH — New Steelers wide receiver Michael Pittman Jr. grinned as he thought back to his first conversation with his new head coach.

“I don’t want to give up his secret sauce, but it was very positive,” Pittman said Friday. “That’s got to be classified; that’s between me and him. It just got me fired up. And I feel like Pittsburgh is like my style of football, like just really that tough smash-mouth, gritty. And I think that I just fit in perfectly here.”

Though the Steelers’ quarterback situation is still unsettled as Aaron Rodgers contemplates his future, the organization’s free agency moves offer a glimpse into coach Mike McCarthy’s plan and identity for the offense. And as team president Art Rooney II promised at his January news conference after Mike Tomlin’s resignation, it’s not a total rebuild. Instead, McCarthy and general manager Omar Khan appear to be prioritizing complementary players to enhance the Steelers’ identity as a physical, run-first offense.

“We call it the ‘Texas Coast’ where we was at when he was there,” Dallas Cowboys wide receiver CeeDee Lamb said of McCarthy’s offensive philosophy. “But I’m sure he is going to call it the ‘Steelers Coast’ there. So definitely a West Coast vibe. He wants to spread the ball, get vertical and run immediately down the field. The fastest way to the zone is through the middle of the field.”

Not only did the Steelers add Pittman through a late-round pick-swap trade with the Indianapolis Colts, but they also signed former Carolina Panthers and Cowboys running back Rico Dowdle. At the same time, the Steelers released tight end Jonnu Smith and saw team MVP running back and jack-of-all trades Kenneth Gainwell sign in Tampa Bay, while two members of the 2022 draft class, wide receiver Calvin Austin III and tight end/fullback Connor Heyward, signed elsewhere.

“[McCarthy] wants to get going through the run game and establish that, want to establish everything at the line of scrimmage,” said Dowdle, who spent five seasons with McCarthy in Dallas. “That was one of our main things when I played with him in Dallas, protecting that quarterback and establishing everything through that line of scrimmage up front and being physical. That’s the one thing he always harped on — being the most physical team out there.”

The Steelers’ early offseason moves back up that sentiment.

Pittman gives the Steelers a big-bodied wide receiver — 6-4, 223 pounds — with a knack for hauling in contested catches.

“That just comes with me just trying to show the quarterback that if he throws it, that I’ll catch it no matter what,” Pittman said. “And being able to fight for that football, I feel like that just gives the quarterback confidence to throw you the ball, and more targets lead to more yards, and more yards hopefully leads to more wins.”

Though the bulk of Pittman’s 2025 routes were in-breakers — 46.7% through Week 15, marking the highest rate of his career, according to NFL Next Gen Stats — he said Friday that he’s anticipating a more versatile role in Pittsburgh.

“You were asked to play a certain role [in Indy], you got to do it. So just getting back to where I have more of a diverse route tree and stuff like that,” Pittman said. Meanwhile, Dowdle is a physical, downhill runner who seamlessly fits in with a running back room that already includes Jaylen Warren, a fellow former undrafted free agent turned lead back.

“To be physical, getting north and south, don’t be back there dancing around,” Dowdle said, describing what McCarthy wants to see out of his running backs. “He came up through the quarterback stuff from the run game. He wants you to protect that quarterback.”

Though Dowdle’s pass protection has been inconsistent throughout his career, Warren has a reputation as a stout blocker when called on. Pittman, too, uses his physicality as a blocker.

“Just being that guy who catches passes, but also just blocks his tail off,” Pittman said to describe his style of play. “And that opens up just extra yards because maybe instead of a 5-yard run play, it turns into a 30-yard run play, or turns into an explosive run and then that sets up the pass game. I’m just showing my teammates that I’m not here to just catch the ball, and that I’m willing to do all of that dirty work, too.”

Though those two moves build on the existing structure and identity of the offense, they also appear to be building an offense tailor-made for Rodgers — should he return to Pittsburgh. A main tenet of McCarthy’s offensive philosophy is constructing a scheme that fits his quarterback.

“He’s going to play to the strong suits of the quarterback,” Cowboys quarterback Dak Prescott told ESPN at the Pro Bowl. “… He’s going to do whatever puts his quarterback in the best situation, young guy, old guy or not, he’s going to play those strong suits.”

For 13 years in Green Bay, he did just that with Rodgers. The Steelers have been clear that McCarthy’s hire wasn’t solely to lure Rodgers back to Pittsburgh, but that experience certainly doesn’t hurt.

Though Rodgers hasn’t given the Steelers a concrete answer on his future, the two sides continue to engage in positive conversations, and Rodgers is aware of the ongoing roster construction. And if he doesn’t return, the Steelers’ moves would also work well for second-year quarterback Will Howard, who won a national championship at Ohio State with the help of a dominant defense and physical run game.

“I know that he’s still thinking about it,” Pittman said of Rodgers’ return. “But we also have two really good quarterbacks here in Mason [Rudolph] and Will. So whatever ends up turning out, just like I think we’ll have a good plan offensively, and we will make the most out of it.”