NFL analyst says the Steelers are in a full-blown identity crisis because of their acquisitions during 2026 NFL free agency

ESPN’s Bill Barnwell doesn’t share the Steelers vision for 2026.

Rob Gregson — NFL News Writer
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Nov 28, 2022; Indianapolis, Indiana, USA; Indianapolis Colts wide receiver Michael Pittman Jr. (11) makes a catch in the end zone for a touchdown during the second half as Pittsburgh Steelers cornerback James Pierre (42) defends at Lucas Oil Stadium.
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For a long time, the Pittsburgh Steelers treated NFL free agency like it was just another week during the NFL offseason. Under the leadership of Kevin Colbert and Mike Tomlin, the Steelers operated more as bargain bin shoppers than they did big money spenders.

Then came GM Omar Khan. In his first offseason on the job, he handed out the largest free agent contract in franchise history to Patrick Queen. On the eve of free agency in 2025, he traded for star WR DK Metcalf, and just last week, he added five probable starters in a matter of days. But if you ask ESPN’s Bill Barnwell, it doesn’t make a lot of sense.

ESPN pushes back on Steelers 2026 free agency moves

“For whatever I might feel about Pittsburgh’s need to rebuild and take a step backward before moving forward, it’s clear that the Steelers don’t share my sentiments. They’ve replaced the retired Mike Tomlin with Mike McCarthy and gone after veterans this offseason. GM Omar Khan acquired Michael Pittman Jr. as a salary dump from the Colts and gave him an extension while signing Jamel Dean and Jaquan Brisker in the secondary.”

“I don’t have a problem with any of those moves in a vacuum, but in the big picture, the Steelers continue to operate like a totally different organization from the one that built through the draft and by plucking unheralded players off other rosters before developing them into stars in black and yellow. We’ll see if that leads to more success under McCarthy than it did over the past nine years of the Tomlin era, where the Steelers failed to win a playoff game in six tries.” – Bill Barnwell, ESPN

What were the Steelers supposed to during free agency?

Ok, so here is why that line of thinking is incorrect. For one, the Steelers went into the two-day negotiating period armed with nearly $50 million in cap space and plenty of holes on their roster. For however flawed Barnwell or whoever else may think their thinking is, the Steelers believe they can win now, while they still have T.J. Watt, Cam Heyward, Alex Highsmith, and plenty more under contract.

The best way to improve a “win now” roster is by adding proven, veteran talent. Players that have produced like Pittman, Dowdle, Dean, and Brisker.

But let’s pivot away from the Steelers active free agency and their “totally different organziation” and look at the draft. Newsflash, even after the Michael Pittman trade, the Steelers have 12 NFL Draft Picks.

Steelers 2026 NFL Draft Picks

  • Round 1: No. 21
  • Round 2: No. 53
  • Round 3: No. 76 (via DAL), No. 85, No. 99 (Compensatory)
  • Round 4: No. 121, No. 135 (Compensatory)
  • Round 5: No. 161
  • Round 6: No. 216 (Compensatory)
  • Round 7: No. 224 (via NE), No. 230 (via IND), No. 237

The bottom line

Sitting on your hands is never a good strategy. When you have operating capital, holes on your roster that need to be filled, and a culture and environment that believes they can still contend, you make your plays for the here and now in free agency, and your plans for the future in the draft.

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