Pittsburgh Steelers

Nick Herbig

LB

Herbig is coming off the best season of his young career -- he registered 7.5 sacks over 15 regular-season games in 2025 even as he played behind four-time All-Pro T.J. Watt and Alex Highsmith. Both Watt and Highsmith figure to return in 2026, limiting Herbig's opportunities, but he'll still technically be playing on his rookie deal until 2027.

Jaylen Warren

RB

Warren is listed at 215 pounds on the team's official site, and he looks noticeably slimmer at OTAs this week, according to Adamski. Warren set career highs as a rusher last season, carrying the ball 211 times for 958 yards and six touchdowns as part of the Steelers' backfield duo with Kenneth Gainwell, who left in the offseason as a free agent to join Tampa Bay. Pittsburgh replaced Gainwell with Rico Dowdle, and 2025 third-round pick Kaleb Johnson is also in the backfield mix after rushing just 28 times for 69 yards as a rookie. Dowdle is more of a prototypical early-down runner at 5-foot-11 and 215 pounds, so perhaps Warren slimmed down to get quicker as a change-of-pace and satellite back after Gainwell was targeted 85 times in 2025. Across four NFL seasons, Warren has 167 career regular-season catches for 1,227 yards and two touchdowns.

Dean Lowry

DT

The veteran defensive lineman from Northwestern missed all of last season due to a knee injury. Across 12 regular-season appearances in 2024, Lowry posted five total tackles, including 1.0 sacks, and one pass defensed. He's expected to compete for a depth role on the Steelers' defensive line.

Pat Freiermuth

TE

As a result, Freiermuth's cap hit for the 2026 campaign will decrease from its current $11.2 million. Pittsburgh's tight end room lost both Jonnu Smith (released) and Connor Heyward (signed with Raiders) this offseason, which leaves Darnell Washington (forearm) as the only established option at the position aside from Freiermuth. With QB Aaron Rodgers back in the fold as well, Freiermuth may be poised for an uptick in volume after putting together a 41-486-4 line on 54 targets in 17 regular-season games in 2025.

Darnell Washington

TE

Since Pittsburgh selected him in the third round of the 2023 NFL Draft, Washington has been used regularly in an offense that trots out multiple tight ends on most offensive snaps, ranging from 497 to 543 plays per season. He set or matched career highs across the board in 2025 with a 31-364-1 line on 43 targets across 16 regular-season games, and with Jonnu Smith and Connor Heyward exiting as free agents this offseason, Washington now has only Pat Freiermuth as notable competition for TE reps for the upcoming campaign.