3 lingering questions that the Pittsburgh Steelers are still unable to answer following the 2026 NFL Draft
The 2026 NFL Draft has come and gone, and the Pittsburgh Steelers made 10 selections and have signed a handful of undrafted free agents. Yet, there are still some major questions left to be answered in Pittsburgh.
Just because the 2026 NFL Draft is over doesn’t mean that the Pittsburgh Steelers roster is set. Think back to this time last year, when the Steelers traded George Pickens, then just a few weeks later, traded Minkah Fitzpatrick for Jalen Ramsey and Jonnu Smith.
I’m not sure anything close to that magnitude will come to fruition for the Steelers between now and when training camp starts in July, but what I do know is that there are still three major questions to be answered when it comes to their roster.
Who will be the starting quarterback in Pittsburgh?
The most obvious of our three questions is what happens at quarterback. It’s still crickets from Aaron Rodgers camp. Until that changes, or if he decides to step away, we may not have this answer until Week 1 in September.
The selection of Drew Allar with pick 76 immediately starts a camp battle between him and second-year player Will Howard. Mason Rudolph is the odd man out if Rodgers returns, but he’s probably getting a lot of first-team reps if he doesn’t.
So it may feel odd, but here again, the Steelers sit close to May, and with no answer at the biggest position in sports.
What happens at inside linebacker?
The trade rumors surrounding starting linebacker Patrick Queen proved to be, well, rumors, and with the Steelers already handing out his 2026 roster bonus, it would be a surprise to see him let go. However, many hoped the Steelers would draft his replacement in this draft, if not a running mate alongside him.
That didn’t happen. The Steelers didn’t use one of their double-digit selections on a stacked backer, and they haven’t even signed a UDFA at the position as of publication. Perhaps that means that the Steelers feel comfortable saying Payton Wilson is ready to be a three-down player in 2026, or they just roll with Malik Harrison again.
What does the left side of the offensive line look like?
With Broderick Jones’ setback, the Steelers took a flier on the green, but promising OT out of Arizona State, Max Iheanachor. But if you think the Steelers are going to throw him out there with a 42, going on 43-year-old Aaron Rodgers or rookie Drew Allar at quarterback, you’re kidding yourself.
Then, at left guard, there has been a lot of talk that the Steelers could move Troy Fautanu to that spot, and with Gennings Dunker being selected in Round 3, maybe that’s a possibility, but Dunker was announced as a guard, and the team signed Brock Hoffman this offseason as well.
So a lot left to sort out.