The Pittsburgh Steelers, at their core, have always been a team that wants to play football the old-fashioned way: run the football and play good defense. Even when Ben Roethlisberger, Antonio Brown, and the many other talented receivers the Steelers employed during the 2010's were racking up yards and touchdowns through the air, they were at their most dangerous when the run game was popping off.
It should also be noted that none of those high-flying passing games were enough to get Pittsburgh back to the Super Bowl, as the defense had fallen off too hard for them to be a complete football team. The 2026 Steelers seem intent on being more like the late 2000s, early 2010s version of themselves, and it starts with a new backfield tandem.
Kenneth Gainwell was a revelation for the offense last season, but he parlayed his team MVP campaign into a two-year, $14 million deal with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. Replacing him as Jaylen Warren's running mate is Rico Dowdle, who joins the Steelers after consecutive 1,000-yard seasons with the Cowboys (where he played under new head coach Mike McCarthy) and the Panthers.
Dowdle brings a more bruising, no-nonsense approach to the position, which will complement Warren's more creative and explosive style. In fact, I believe they can accomplish something that only seven other duos in NFL history have accomplished: running for 1,000 yards apiece.
Jaylen Warren and Rico Dowdle have the chance to make history with the Pittsburgh Steelers
Despite the short list of duos to rush for 1,000 yards, Warren and Dowdle wouldn't be the first Steelers tandem to accomplish the feat. Back in 1976, Franco Harris and Rocky Bleier helped carry an offense that passed for just 1,666 yards and 10 touchdowns, with the duo putting up 2,164 yards and 19 touchdowns.
The reason I believe the Steelers' 2026 backfield has a chance to join their 1976 counterparts is the question marks at quarterback and the receiving weapons.
Aaron Rodgers will turn 43 this season, and he already looked like a diminished version of himself a year ago. Michael Pittman Jr. and rookie second-round pick Germie Bernard are nice additions to the receiving corps, but can they elevate an aging Rodgers in any meaningful way? If you couldn't tell by my belief that Warren and Dowdle's chances of each reaching 1,000 yards, my answer to that as of now is no.
While I think it's likely the Steelers start the season with McCarthy and Rodgers trying to recreate the magic they once had in Green Bay, I think it will become clear rather quickly that the offense works best if they let the running game lead the way. It will take pressure off of Rodgers to be more than the game manager he is at this point, and it will help the defense by avoiding as many quick possessions by the offense.
Even if they don't both eclipse 1,000 yards on the ground, I would be shocked if they don't each have at least 1,000 yards from scrimmage by season's end.
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