For the first time in nearly two decades, Mike Tomlin will not roam the sidelines as the head coach of the Pittsburgh Steelers. Mike McCarthy takes the reins. The former Green Bay Packers head coach comes to town with a championship on his resume.
While this coaching shift garners attention, one media member believes that a decision made last year could have a long-lasting effect on the franchise.
Dave Dameshek Criticizes Steelers Management Over Quarterback Decisions
During a recent conversation with Ross Tucker on “The Ross Tucker Podcast,” longtime writer and Pittsburgh native Dave Dameshek unleashed a pointed opinion aimed at his home team. He focused his criticism on the Steelers’ ongoing quarterback issues: “They remain in purgatory. They should have taken Jaxson Dart a year ago.”
At No. 21 in the 2025 NFL Draft, the Steelers could have landed Dart. No team between the Steelers and the Tennessee Titans, who owned the top pick, selected a quarterback. As a result, the former Ole Miss standout fell.
Despite this opportunity, the team selected Oregon defensive tackle Derrick Harmon instead. Consequently, Dart slipped to the New York Giants at No. 25.
Harmon recorded three sacks and 27 tackles in 12 games during his rookie campaign. Despite these contributions, Dameshek lambasts the team for depending instead on veteran Aaron Rodgers:
“Have you seen him against a team that has a pass rush? He doesn’t like it. He will turtle up. Like anyone in their 40s will. He understands that he cannot move like he used to.”
Rodgers threw for 3,322 yards with 24 touchdowns and a 65.7% completion percentage last season. Looking ahead, Rodgers turns 43 on Dec. 2. Rather than addressing the quarterback position last year, the Steelers chose to kick the metaphorical can down the road and wait on the quarterback of the future.
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Now, as Rodgers continues to weigh his options in free agency, second-year signal-caller Will Howard could be the one McCarthy chooses. In light of these uncertainties, Dameshek calls for the Steelers to forget about the future Hall of Famer. “I’m assuming that some teams in 2026, that intend on having a pass rush. So, if that’s the case, it’s not good to make Aaron Rodgers your quarterback.”
While the offensive line played well, holding down the No. 3 spot in the PFSN NFL OL Impact Rankings, Rodgers didn’t. He claimed the No. 29 position in the PFSN NFL QB Impact Rankings.
Further, those metrics indicate that on third- and fourth-down attempts, the Steelers’ quarterback struggles, converting just 32.9% of the attempts. That level of failure leads to punts, placing the defense on the field longer and potentially exposing them to fatigue.
Given these challenges, this year could factor differently for the Steelers. In this year’s draft, the team has five picks in the top 100. With that draft capital, will they bring in a rookie quarterback to build around?
