When Mike McCarthy was hired, we knew there would be some big changes to how the Pittsburgh Steelers organization operates. So far, most of those changes have been welcomed as he tries to turn around one of the most anemic offenses in the NFL over the last six seasons.
While that won’t happen overnight, we are starting to see some glimpses of what the offense is going to look like under McCarthy. And one of those changes is ditching heavy tight end looks in favor of more receivers. That is already playing out through two preseason games for Pittsburgh.
The Pittsburgh Steelers are going away from 2 and 3 TE sets
During the 2024 and 2025 seasons, we saw Pittsburgh use a heavy number of tight ends in Arthur Smith’s offense. That made sense, as the Steelers had the personnel to run those packages.
But under McCarthy, we should expect very little of that in 2026. McCarthy has never been keen on using 12-and-13-personnel during his time in Dallas or in Green Bay. And if the preseason is any indicator, we shouldn’t expect him to suddenly change.
Through two preseason games, McCarthy has used 13-personnel (1 WR, 1 RB, 3 TEs) on just 1.5% of the offensive snaps, according to Pro Football Focus. Just to put that in context, the Steelers ran 13 personnel 13.5% of the time last year under Smith.
The safe bet is to assume that Pittsburgh will only use 13 personnel in short- yardage and goal-line situations during the 2026 season. And even then, we probably won’t see it more than a play or two per game.
But the real question is how much we will see the Steelers use 12 personnel (1 WR, 2 RBs, 2 TEs). Based on what we’ve seen in the preseason, it’s fair to expect a decrease in that personnel grouping as well.
In a recent article by Pro Football Focus, they wrote about Pittsburgh’s changing offense during the preseason. According to their charting, the Steelers have used 12 personnel on just 14.6% of the offensive snaps so far. That is down significantly compared to the 2025 number of 29.5%. Here is a snippet of what PFF had to say about the tight end usage for the Steelers this preseason:
"The returning Pat Freiermuth and Darnell Washington at tight end mean that McCarthy could amplify the team’s diminished 12 personnel rate in the regular season — which currently ranks 27th in the preseason. Yet McCarthy will likely stick to an 11 personnel-dominant bedrock as he looks to better Pittsburgh’s offense with his signature passing concepts."
Pittsburgh handed Darnell Washington a big contract this offseason, and while you can bet that he’ll still be involved in the offense, it’s not hard to be concerned about his usage. Based on just the preseason alone, Pittsburgh has had two more tight ends on the field for just 16.1% of the offensive snaps. In 2025, that percentage was 43.4%.
Maybe the solution is to get Washington on the field more in 11-personnel situations instead of Pat Freiermuth. However, there is no doubt that Freiermuth is the better receiver, especially against zone coverage. While it’s too early to panic, it is worth remembering that McCarthy’s favorite style of offense is 11 personnel, playing out of shotgun. He likes to spread the field and throw the ball, and heavier personnel packages have never been his forte.
We shouldn’t put too much stock in the preseason, as these sorts of things can change depending on the players and how the season goes, but it is a reminder of how different the Steelers will look on offense this season.
Add us as a preferred source on Google