Mike McCarthy is making a change to Steelers’ training camp that Mike Tomlin wouldn’t dream of ahead of pads coming on in Latrobe
Mike McCarthy has yet to run his first training camp practice in Latrobe, but he’s already making a change that could pay dividends if the Pittsburgh Steelers make a deep run in the playoffs this season.
The Pittsburgh Steelers have a new head coach running training camp in Latrobe for the first time in nearly two decades, and Mike McCarthy is already putting his stamp on the program. In his opening press conference Monday, McCarthy confirmed that the Steelers will not partake in live tackling during team drills at training camp. The decision represents a significant philosophical shift from the Mike Tomlin era and could have real implications for how Pittsburgh manages its roster through the back half of the 2026 season.
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A clear departure from the Tomlin era
Tomlin was known for running one of the most physically demanding training camps in the NFL. His defensive background informed a camp philosophy built on physicality, intensity, and ruthlessness in practice. McCarthy, an offensive-minded coach, is taking a different approach. McCarthy said tackling will be saved for the preseason and regular season.
The truth is, this makes a lot of sense for where the Steelers are right now as a roster.
Why this change should pay dividends for Pittsburgh
For one, the Steelers are one of the older rosters in the NFL. The defensive side of the ball, in particular, is loaded with veterans who have significant mileage on their bodies. Players like outside linebacker T.J. Watt and defensive tackle Cam Hayward are both in their 30s. Jalen Ramsey (who starts camp on PUP) falls into that same category. If those players start absorbing contact in early August, the accumulated wear and tear becomes a real factor by December and January, when Pittsburgh wants to be playing its best football.
On top of that, the evidence suggests the old approach wasn’t producing results where it mattered most. Nick Farabaugh of PennLive pointed out that the Steelers were the third-worst tackling team in the league last season. All that physicality, all that demand in the Latrobe heat, and Pittsburgh still couldn’t tackle consistently when it counted.
So the question becomes: what were those reps really accomplishing?
The bottom line
I think this is a welcome change for the Steelers. McCarthy is managing his roster with an eye toward longevity and availability. Preserving the health of aging defensive stars through camp doesn’t mean the team will be soft. It means the coaching staff is prioritizing the reps that matter, in games, over grinding players down in practice.
It also signals something broader about the McCarthy era in Pittsburgh. This is not going to be a copy-paste of how the Steelers operated for the last two decades. McCarthy has his own methods, his own philosophy, and he’s not afraid to implement them immediately. Whether that translates to wins remains to be seen, but the logic behind this particular decision is sound. Pittsburgh’s best chance at a deep playoff run depends on players like Watt and Hayward being healthy and fresh when the stakes are highest.