Behind the Steel Curtain
The NFL schedule has been announced. Which teams will impact the Steelers draft in 2026?
After spending all day having its insiders BREAK NEWS about the exact date of previously announced matchups for the 2025 season, the NFL finally released its full regular season schedule Wednesday night. Each team puts out its own release video, and let’s just say if they awarded the NFL Draft order based on these productions, the Steelers’ video would be in contention for the first overall pick. Somebody tell Mike Tomlin we wanna see big changes in the marketing department next year.
I don’t think I’ll ever buy into the schedule release as an exciting offseason event, but seeing the full schedule laid out can help us contextualize some storylines to follow this season. Of course, there is no bigger storyline for the Steelers than finding their next franchise quarterback. Regardless of who lines up under center this season, the pressure is mounting for the organization to stabilize the position.
The two sentiments I feel are most prevalent regarding the Steelers are as follows:
Even with the Steelers' troubling quarterback predicament, I can tell you I still believe that first statement to be closer to the truth than the second. Still, I don’t find it out of the realm of possibility that the Steelers could suffer their first losing season under Mike Tomlin.
So with an eye towards the draft, let’s establish the Steelers’ floor and a ceiling.
If the offensive line gels, and the Steelers get enough competent quarterback play to prevent defenses from selling out to stop the run, the Steelers could have a 10-11 win season. There’s enough talent on this team to even win a Wild Card game under the right circumstances. That could land the Steelers anywhere from pick 19 to pick 28, not exactly prime spot for picking a quarterback.
But in a world where the Steelers’ young offensive line continues to struggle, where the the quarterback play remains subpar, defenses are able to effectively take DK Metcalf out of the game with no other receivers stepping up, and/or Pittsburgh’s defense once again is worn down because the offense can’t stay on the field, the Steelers could have a much lower floor. Looking at the Steelers schedule, I have a hard time seeing them finishing worse than 6-8 wins without some poor injury luck to significant players.
For perspective, last season, the 49ers had six wins, which netted them the 11th pick in the draft. The Cardinals and Falcons each had eight wins and were picking 15th and 16th, respectively.
It’s too early to be certain how many quarterbacks will declare for the 2026...
