One of the recurring themes of Mike McCarthy's first year as Steelers head coach has been versatility.
Wide receivers must be able to line up everywhere. Running backs and tight ends — hey, even a fullback — can pop up anywhere across the formation. Offensive linemen will be counted on to flip sides when need be.
Defensively, they'll need conceptual understanding from all spots in the secondary. And McCarthy also keeps mentioning "new things" in the front seven.
"You've got to find ways to play everybody," McCarthy said Wednesday before the second practice of veteran minicamp at UPMC Rooney Sports Complex. "This is not an 11-man operation, both on offense, defense — and special teams. We want everybody to play. I talk on it all the time about roster improvement and flexibility. You have to be able to play four downs at most positions."
McCarthy threw out 21 as a number of how many players will need to make significant contributions on one side of the ball "to win the whole thing." The 2025 Steelers had exactly that many play more than 200 defensive snaps in the regular season.
What McCarthy is pointing out is that attrition can and will hit you over the course of 17 games. Players might be asked to take a back seat but stay ready when everyone's healthy. Or, when someone goes down, you might get thrown into a larger role, perhaps one that's different than you were in before.
Philosophically, McCarthy wants everyone on the active roster to be an active participant each week. And having a hard choice to make every game about who's inactive and who's not is a good problem to have. It's a challenge he embraces.
"That's probably the toughest part of my job in-season," McCarthy said. "It's not a positive if one player plays 98% and you've got one guy over there who's played two snaps. That's not the outlook and that's not how we'll do it moving forward."
Looking at it that way is particularly relevant for the outside linebackers. McCarthy confirmed that fourth-year pass-rusher Nick Herbig has agreed to a new contract with the Steelers.
While there has yet to be an official announcement from the team, Herbig is "ecstatic," according to McCarthy. Herbig has been with the team during negotiations, but McCarthy knows that being on the other side of it is a welcome moment.
"I wouldn't say relief. I'd say it's joy," McCarthy said. "Trust me, I'm very happy when one of our players gets a contract done — always have been."
McCarthy also is happy with the pace of practice and the teaching they've accomplished, but it's never perfect. It's never linear.
Just as he mentioned progression and regression as OTAs came to a close last week, McCarthy alluded to the notion that a coach is never truly satisfied this time of year.
"Frankly, we're just rolling through our installs. There were a lot of good things [Tuesday], but for me personally — not to be 'Debbie Downer' — it was an install practice," McCarthy said. "There are things we'll learn from and move on, but today's our last red-zone install, so we'll hit more of that. Can't do enough two-minute [drills], so we're trying to do that within the framework of these practice rules and so forth."
On the health front, McCarthy was asked about safety DeShon Elliott and offensive tackle Broderick Jones. He didn't have a timeline for either player who ended last season on the reserve/injured list, but has been encouraged by all he's hearing from Head Athletic Trainer Gabe Amponsah.
"Every report that Gabe gives updates, it's been positive. There have been no setbacks," McCarthy said. "They're here, they're in the meetings, which is the most important part for the new staff, but their health, that'll always be the priority."
