ESPN just blasted Mike McCarthy and Omar Khan when grading the future of the Pittsburgh Steelers via their NFL power rankings
The Pittsburgh Steelers have been the NFL’s model of stability for decades, and they don’t plan on changing that under Mike McCarthy. But according to ESPN, the Steelers are about to head into uncharted waters.
ESPN released future NFL power rankings projecting beyond the 2026 season, and somehow the Pittsburgh Steelers landed at 30th on the list. That is below the Cleveland Browns at 28. The ranking is, to put it plainly, total blasphemy.
Let’s break down the categories and where ESPN completely loses the plot.
Steelers 2026 preseason schedule
All start times 7:oo pm EST.
- Week 1 vs. Green Bay Packers (28-9 W).
- Week 2 vs. New York Jets (Friday, August 21).
- Week 3 at Buffalo Bills (Thursday, August 27).
Overall roster ranking doesn’t add up
ESPN ranked the Steelers’ overall roster, excluding the quarterback, at 20th in the NFL. That’s probably a bit low if we’re being honest. This is a defense with multiple Pro Bowlers and multiple potential Hall of Famers on it. If you want to say they’re long in the tooth, that’s one thing, but on offense, Pittsburgh has completely retooled its weaponry. The young and ascending offensive line is there. So a 20th-place roster ranking, while not the biggest deal, still undersells what this team has built.
The quarterback situation is not the worst in football
Do I think the Steelers have the worst quarterback situation in the league? Absolutely, positively not. Not even close. Drew Allar and Will Howard both made their preseason debuts and looked pretty good. If they’re bad, you get a first-round pick at quarterback again. I don’t think Pittsburgh has the worst quarterback situation in the league, though I do understand why that could be a reason for concern.
ESPN’s coaching ranking is where they completely lose me
Here’s where this gets ridiculous. ESPN gave the Steelers the 31st ranking in the NFL in coaching. Am I, or was I, the biggest proponent of hiring Mike McCarthy? Absolutely not. But after watching Steelers training camp, after seeing them execute offensive plays in their first preseason game, I’m a little bit higher on McCarthy.
Of course, we have to get through the regular season. But beyond that, it’s not like they hired a bum. McCarthy won 12 games, 3 seasons in a row, for the Dallas Cowboys. He won a Super Bowl with the Green Bay Packers. He has been successful everywhere he’s gone. Ranking Pittsburgh’s coaching staff 31st is indefensible.
The front office ranking ignores the Steelers’ greatest strength
ESPN ranked the Steelers’ front office 27th in the NFL. I have pushed back on some of Omar Khan’s trades and some of his free agent signings, but look no further than the 2023 NFL Draft class as to why the Pittsburgh Steelers front office is still one of the best in the league. They have extended Darnell Washington. They have extended Keeanu Benton. They have extended Nick Herbig, and that’s before a deal with Joey Porter Jr.
The Steelers are going to be drafting well as long as this organization is around. It’s always been that way. It will always be that way. And in the NFL, your teams will always be built through the draft. Ranking that front office 27th is just not grounded in reality.
The bottom line
ESPN’s ranking of the Steelers as the 30th-best team going forward is way out of left field. You can nitpick the quarterback situation. You can raise concerns about the roster’s age on defense. But stacking all of these category rankings together and still landing on 30th — below Cleveland — requires ignoring almost everything that has made Pittsburgh a consistently competitive franchise. This one doesn’t hold up.
