Behind the Steel Curtain
It’s Wednesday, which means it’s time for a weekly Steelers links roundup at BTSC. But first, let’s take a look around the AFC North:
Now, onto some Steelers news and discussion:
(From Steelers Now’s Aaron Becker): Former Pittsburgh Steelers running back Anthony McFarland Jr. has found a new professional home, being drafted by the Birmingham Stallions in the 2026 UFL Draft.
A fourth-round pick in 2020, McFarland finished his NFL career with just 146 rushing yards. However, he’s still landing jobs in professional football.
(From WTAE’s Yazmin Rodriguez): Chelsea Zahn, a former Steelers employee, has filed a lawsuit alleging she faced discrimination and unequal pay compared to her male coworkers during her tenure from 2013 to 2024.
According to the lawsuit, Zahn claims she experienced multiple instances of discrimination and a hostile work environment, being passed over for promotions due to her sex and age. Although she received one promotion, she alleges her salary and commission structure were lower than those of her male colleagues.
The lawsuit was filed Jan. 13. There isn’t a lot of information regarding it at the moment, but it’s something to monitor. The Steelers, as expected, haven’t commented on the case.
(From USA Today’s Nate Davis): Did his system get a little stale by the end in Green Bay? Maybe. Did McCarthy do extensive self-scouting and dive into other offensive approaches following his midseason firing in Titletown in 2018? You bet he did. And the results spoke for themselves. The Cowboys scored the most points in the league in 2021 and 2023 and ranked fourth in 2022. The Steelers haven’t had a top-five scoring offense in a decade, ranking fourth in 2015 – which was the only time they’ve ranked that high … in the last 30 seasons.
There aren’t many supporters of bringing Mike McCarthy to Pittsburgh among Steelers fans, but USA Today’s Nate Davis provides an alternate opinion.
(From Steelers Wire’s Andrew Vasquez): “Ever since Omar [Khan] took over, what have Omar’s draft picks done?” Ebron told Jaylen Samuel via the On My Soul podcast. “We was there with Omar. I’m not sure a lot of motherf—— walking around that building had respect for Omar. Just call a spade a spade. Call it what it is.”
Sure, it’s a podcast sound bite that’s hard to verify, but still an interesting perspective from Ebron. Khan’s roster-building strategy has been notably more aggressive than his predecessor Kevin Colbert.
[Ben Roethlisberger Gives Bold Take on...
