Cowboys WR Shares Glimpse Into Steelers New Offense

Star Dallas Cowboys wide receiver CeeDee Lamb, who played under Mike McCarthy over the first five seasons of his career, offered some insight into what the Pittsburgh Steelers' offense will look like under their new head coach while going out of his way to rave about him.

"Great guy," Lamb said in an interview with Ross Tucker. "He loves Pittsburgh. That's my man. I love Mike, Coach McCarthy. Just coming in, he's a great time. As soon as you walk in the building, you're gonna feel his energy and you're gonna feel what he wants to do. He wants to go vertical with the ball.

"That's another guy that I feel like I would run through a wall for. Mike did a great job at developing me my first five years in the league and I knew what to prepare for going forward."

Jan 5, 2025; Arlington, Texas, USA; Dallas Cowboys head coach Mike McCarthy looks on during the first half against the Washington Commanders at AT&T Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Kevin Jairaj-Imagn Images | Kevin Jairaj-Imagn Images

McCarthy's Numbers in Dallas

Working with the pairing of Dak Prescott and Lamb at quarterback and receiver, respectively, during his time in Dallas, McCarthy consistently had his offense among the top units in the league throughout his five-year stint there.

After ranking near the middle of the pack in yards (371.8) and points (24.7) in 2020 after Prescott went down with a season-ending ankle injury in Week 5, McCarthy and the Cowboys placed first in both yards (407.0) and points (31.2) the following year in 2021.

Dallas was the fouth-highest scoring team on average during the 2022 campaign with 27.5 points before once again leading the NFL in that category in 2023 at 29.9

In McCarthy's final season with the Cowboys in 2024, the team's offense averaged 328.4 yards and 20.6 points per contest, both of which marked rather significant downgrades from the prior few years.

Breath of Fresh Air?

Though it may sound harsh, the Steelers' offense has been unimaginative and rather unproductive over the last handful of years under coordinators Matt Canada and Arthur Smith.

Jan 27, 2026; Pittsburgh, PA, USA; Pittsburgh Steelers head coach Mike McCarthy speaks at a press conference introducing him as the next head coach of the Steelers at PNC Champions Club at Acrisure Stadium.. Mandatory Credit: Charles LeClaire-Imagn Images | Charles LeClaire-Imagn Images

Pittsburgh has not had a truly elite season on that side of the ball since 2018, when it logged the fourth-most yards (403.3) and sixth-most points (26.8) per game.

The Steelers had recently avoided throwing towards the middle of the field and struggled to generate much of a deep passing game in 2025, instead opting for more work in the short game with plenty of checkdowns, which Kenneth Gainwell in particular benefitted from.

Though McCarthy has caught some flack for his inability to adapt and innovate, his offenses have consistently come through and moved the ball down the field.

There's a lot to sort out in Pittsburgh, though, such as who's going to start at quarterback, with Aaron Rodgers a potential leading candidate to return to the team and reunite with McCarthy after spending over a decade together with the Green Bay Packers.

Still, McCarthy should help the Steelers' offense operate at a higher level than it has since the turn of the decade and become more of a formidable unit.

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