7 Losers, 5 Winners From First Quarter of Steelers Season

The Pittsburgh Steelers' 2026 season has been a rollercoaster, to say the least.

From the Joey Porter Jr. contract dispute (and trade) to getting embarrassed by the New England Patriots in Week 2, beating the Cincinnati Bengals in a Week 3 thriller and losing on Thursday Night Football to the Cleveland Browns to Week 4, it's been quite the eventful campaign for the Steelers.

At 2-2 entering Week 5, it feels like Pittsburgh's underperformed expectations a bit. There's still plenty of time to turn things around under first-year head coach Mike McCarthy, however.

With that, here are our winners and losers over the opening quarter of the season for the Steelers.

Winner: T.J. Watt

Any rumors of Watt's regression were greatly exaggerated.

After putting up just 7.0 sacks over 14 games during the 2025 campaign, Watt has returned to his typical elite form so far this season.

He's tied for the third-most sacks in the NFL with 4.5, and he's also logged a forced fumble (and recovery) to go with a pick-six against the Atlanta Falcons in Week 1.

Watt remains one of the game's elite run defenders too, and he's one of the early favorites for the AP Defensive Player of the Year Award after his hot start.

Aug 21, 2026; Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, USA; Pittsburgh Steelers linebacker Payton Wilson (41) lines up against the New York Jets during the first half at Acrisure Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Barry Reeger-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

Loser: Payton Wilson

After a disappointing second season for the Steelers in which he failed to take any real steps forward, that trend has continued for Wilson in 2026.

The hope was that playing in Patrick Graham's system would help unlock Wilson's skill set and make him more of an impactful player in the middle of Pittsburgh's defense.

Instead, his missed tackle rate of 18.9 percent is the fifth-worst among linebackers with at least 100 snaps (per SumerSports), and his yards per coverage snap of 1.62 is the sixth-worst with that same criteria while also allowing a completion percentage of 91.7 percent.

Loser: Michael Pittman Jr.

Pittman Jr.'s Steelers debut was promising, as he lead the team with 58 receiving yards in the team's Week 1 win over the Atlanta Falcons, but it's been all downhill from there.

He did not play in Week 2 vs. the New England Patriots due to a foot injury, and he's posted a total of 31 yards on four receptions in the two contests since.

Pittman Jr. is dealing with plantar fasciitis, so he does deserve some grace in that regard. At the same time, Pittsburgh's decision to trade for him and subsequently sign him to a three-year, $59 million extension doesn't look great at the moment.

Sep 27, 2026; Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, USA; Pittsburgh Steelers running back Jaylen Warren (30) runs against the Cincinnati Bengals during the second half at Acrisure Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Barry Reeger-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

Winner: Jaylen Warren

Warren's always been one of the league's more efficient and elusive running backs, and he's gotten to prove that so far through four weeks.

The 27-year-old has been the best player on the Steelers' offense thus far and single-handedly kept the backfield afloat amidst Rico Dowdle's absence due to a toe injury, posting a combined 302 yards on 40 touches between Weeks 3 and 4.

Warren's 5.6 yards per carry is the fourth-best mark in the league among qualified rushers (per Next Gen Stats), and he's tied for the sixth-most tackles forced among running backs with 15 (per Pro Football Focus).

Loser: Asante Samuel Jr.

The hype for Samuel Jr. was real after an incredibly strong summer. He immediately earned the opportunity to continue building momentum and prove himself as a starter amidst Joey Porter Jr.'s absence, yet he's fallen short thus far.

Samuel Jr. was benched at the end of Pittsburgh's Week 3 win over the Cincinnati Bengals in favor of Daylen Everette, though the Steelers will have to continue to rely on him after trading Porter Jr. to the Dallas Cowboys.

Among 94 cornerbacks who have logged 100 snaps or more this season, Samuel Jr. ranks No. 83 in yards allowed (202) according to SumerSports while also having allowed two touchdowns.

Sep 27, 2026; Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, USA; Pittsburgh Steelers quarterback Aaron Rodgers (8) looks to pas against the Cincinnati Bengals during the first half at Acrisure Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Barry Reeger-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

Loser: Aaron Rodgers

Rodgers has shown some flashes, particularly against the Falcons and Bengals, though his outings against the Patriots and Browns were rough to say the least.

The 42-year-old has pushed the ball down the field more in Mike McCarthy's offense, which is a positive. He's been inaccurate though, as evidenced by a 57.5 percent completion rate that is the fourth-worst mark among qualified passers (per Next Gen Stats).

Rodgers' EPA per dropback of -0.22 is also the fourth-worst among qualified passers, and his complete lack of mobility has become even more glaring in 2026, which severely hampers Pittsburgh as a whole.

Winner: Zach Frazier

One of the best centers in the NFL, Frazier is the strongest link on a Steelers offensive line that's been invested into quite heavily by general manager Omar Khan.

Excluding Brock Hoffman, who has only started half of Pittsburgh's contests, Frazier is the only starter along the team's offensive line who hasn't allowed a sack yet while also boasting a miniscule pressure rate of 4.7 percent (per SumerSports).

Frazier makes all the difference in the world as a run blocker as well, and overall he's one of the more indispensable players across the Steelers' entire roster.

Loser: Rayshawn Jenkins

Jenkins' lapses in coverage are quickly making him an untenable option at safety for the Steelers.

From losing Romeo Doubs on a 63-yard reception in Week 2 to seemingly missing his assignment and being responsible for Denzel Boston's 61-yard catch in the second quarter of Week 4, Jenkins has been extremely unreliable on the back-end of Pittsburgh's defense.

He played a season-low 13 defensive snaps in the team's loss to the Browns (per Pro Football Focus), and he'll be hard-pressed to carve out any sort of role once DeShon Elliott is activated from the reserve/injured list.

Winner: Darnell Washington

Every catch by Washington is much-watch TV.

Very rarely do you see a tight end with his type of size, especially one who is as much of a receiving threat as he is. Washington is a handful to deal with for opposing defenses as a clear mismatch, and he's recorded 119 yards with a touchdown on nine catches this season while continuing to make his mark as an elite blocker too.

Loser: Spencer Anderson

Though he's no longer starting at right guard, having been replaced by Hoffman in Week 3, it's still worth highlighting Anderson's shortcomings.

While he did suffer a bone break in his leg against the Patriots, limiting him significantly in what was a poor showing for him, Anderson's pressure rate of 9.3 percent on the year is the seventh-worst among offensive linemen with at least 100 snaps (per SumerSports).

Dec 21, 2025; Detroit, Michigan, USA; Pittsburgh Steelers defensive tackle Keeanu Benton (95) celebrates after a sack during the first quarter against the Detroit Lions at Ford Field. Mandatory Credit: Lon Horwedel-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

Loser: Keeanu Benton

Benton hasn't played as much nose tackle this season as he has in the past, which was the clear intention of Pittsburgh's new coaching staff as a means of upping his chances to get after the quarterback given his pass rushing skills on the interior of the defensive line.

The Steelers showed their confidence in him by signing the 25-year-old to a four-year extension worth $72 million extension, and yet his 3.9 percent pressure rate is the seventh-worst among 90 qualified defensive linemen (per Next Gen Stats).

Benton also has yet to record a sack, and it's not like he's thrived against the run either.

Winner: Alex Highsmith

He isn't as flashy or productive as Watt, but Highsmith remains such an integral part of Pittsburgh's defense.

The 29-year-old already has three sacks on the year with 12 pressures (per SumerSports) and is a stout run defender as well.

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