Steelers open Mike McCarthy era with eye on offensive production, and a first test soon after camp starts

The Steelers are about to move from offseason installation work to the first look at what Mike McCarthy’s offense will look like in real football. Pittsburgh is scheduled to report to Latrobe on July 28, with its first open practice coming the next day, and the preseason opener set for August 13, when the Steelers host the Green Bay Packers. For the Steelers, those dates matter less for the scoreline and more for the early report they give about how quickly a new head-coaching framework can translate into play-calling and execution.

In many ways, the start of this new era is tied to the same storyline that accompanied McCarthy’s hire: he and his new quarterback, Aaron Rodgers, are linked to the offensive identity McCarthy built in Green Bay. As Yahoo Sports framed it, this will be the first regular-season-style window into a team that has made its biggest personnel shift in nearly two decades. Rodgers is not expected to play much, if at all, in the early preseason work, and McCarthy will not be revealing everything the offense can do in a preseason setting. Still, the posture of the playbook, the pace of the work, and how the Steelers use formations and protections will be the early clues.

The question underneath those clues is straightforward: how much can McCarthy lift the team’s offensive output after several years in which the Steelers’ production was described as “middling” at best. McCarthy brings a long head-coaching resume, including 12 seasons with a winning record and a playoff appearance in each of those seasons, plus a Super Bowl title. But the Yahoo Sports analysis also acknowledges that age and experience are only part of the equation, and that even with an established offensive mind, the Steelers still have to convert scheme into consistent down-to-down results.

Quarterback play is only one layer of that conversion. Wide receiver DK Metcalf offered a player’s perspective on what is changing. After spending seven years under defensive head coaches, Metcalf said he is “excited” about having an offensive-minded head coach, adding that “there’s something different” about the approach. The Steelers content also highlighted how Metcalf views McCarthy’s detailed offensive installations as a way to get the unit “on the same page,” an emphasis that can show up quickly in timing routes and read-based concepts once practices turn more physical.

Metcalf’s recent production profile provides some context for why expectations could shift. Steelers Depot reported that Metcalf recorded three 1,000-yard seasons in his career and multiple double-digit touchdown seasons, and it referenced his 2025 output as 59 catches for 850 yards and six touchdowns. It also noted that in 2025 he saw 99 targets, which were the lowest of his career, and it framed that as a reason some players believe the offense could become more intentional and higher volume under McCarthy. Even if targets do not rise overnight in camp, the preseason is where coaches can test whether the offense can create more opportunities for the top perimeter threats.

Defensively, the Steelers’ defensive performance remains central to their ceiling, even as the staff pivots toward a different offensive philosophy. Yahoo Sports suggested the defense could still determine the team’s competitive floor while the offense catches up. For fans, that means the best way to read these early McCarthy sessions is not to chase highlight plays, but to watch for signs that the Steelers can sustain drives, keep their quarterback protected, and produce consistent first downs against live looks from the Packers and, later, other opponents.