The Pittsburgh Steelers entered the 2026 offseason with several questions surrounding the team following another year without a playoff win. One of those questions were answered when the Steelers named Mike McCarthy their head coach, the first new leader at the helm in almost 20 years in Pittsburgh. McCarthy provides a different background for the Steelers, with him being an offensive-minded NFL coach. Offense is one area the Steelers need to address before the 2026 season if they want to have a chance to finally end their playoff-win drought. Their offense has not been able to keep up with the rest of the league in recent years.
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Steelers wide receiver DK Metcalf celebrates a touchdown with teammates in the 2025 NFL season.
Pittsburgh’s offense was ranked 25th in the NFL in yards per game with 305.6 and 15th in points with 23.4 per game in 2025. Should McCarthy see success during his tenure in Pittsburgh, the offense is going to have to improve. One position of need in which they can increase productivity is at wide receiver. On Friday, Matt Williamson and Wes Uhler of Steelers Nation Radio discussed several options in which the Steelers could use to improve this ahead of the 2026 campaign.
“[Alec] Pierce to me is really interesting. He’s going to be really sought after and been an underrated player for years,” Williamson said. “This last year, he became way more of a well-rounded player. He was very much a one-trick pony. He’s breaking off routes, he’s much more of an every down, do-it-all type player.”
Pierce had 47 receptions for 1,003 yards and six touchdowns during the 2025 season with the Indianapolis Colts. The yardage total would have led Pittsburgh in 2025, with Pierce also being tied in touchdowns with Steelers wide receiver DK Metcalf. Metcalf totaled 850 yards in his first season in Pittsburgh, clearly ahead of any other wide receiver on the Steelers roster.
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Indianapolis Colts wide receiver Alec Pierce celebrating a touchdown with teammates in 2025 NFL season.
Calvin Austin III was second behind Metcalf, with just 372 yards, which has played a big part in the wide receiver position becoming a hot topic for improvement ahead of 2026.
Steelers’ Offense Must Catch Up With The League In 2026
The Steelers’ 2025 offensive numbers show just how far behind they are compared to the rest of the NFL. If the Steelers want to see success in 2026 and beyond, this is an area where they have to adapt to the league and do so quickly. The Steelers will need to find a number two wide receiver to help take some attention off of Metcalf in order to allow him to truly thrive in Pittsburgh. Former Steelers legendary quarterback Ben Roethlisberger also pointed this out earlier this week on his Footbahlin podcast.
While Williamson mentions the need for the position, Roethlisberger also stating it is a need moving forward is extremely significant. A guy like Pierce would be an excellent complement to Metcalf, as it opens up the field instantly for the Steelers. One of the biggest issues with the Steelers failing to be successful in 2025 offensively was that defenses would just take Metcalf out of the game, which caused the Steelers to struggle often. However, as Williamson mentioned, the Steelers can go and get a guy like Pierce who came on strong in 2025 and then shift their focus to adding more at the position in 2026. Going after not just one, but at least two wide receivers, will make the Steelers a much bigger threat on offense in 2026.
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Steelers wide receiver DK Metcalf walking off the field frustrated during a game at the Detroit Lions in 2025.
McCarthy certainly has his work cut out for him before the 2026 season and his first year as the head coach of the Steelers. One of his first orders of business should be addressing the lack of production at the wide receiver position. McCarthy should be having this talk with General Manager Omar Khan if he has not already. Metcalf was held back in 2025 at times and it was exposed often due to the Steelers’ lack of production from other wide receivers. This is something that must change going into 2026, and Pierce could be the emerging wide receiver that helps take attention away from Metcalf.
Would you like the Steelers to go after Alec Pierce in free agency? Let us know in the comments below!
