Pittsburgh Steelers head coach Mike Tomlin reacts before the NFL game between the Cincinnati Bengals and Pittsburgh Steelers at Paycor Stadium in Cincinnati on Oct. 16, 2025. Albert Cesare/The Enquirer / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

Time For a Complete Steelers Rebuild

Originally posted on Pittsburgh Steelers on SI
By Noah Strackbein | Last updated Oct 28, 2025 11:00 AM ET

The Pittsburgh Steelers need a rebuild. A big one. One that could change the entire landscape of the franchise, and could cause some pain, but also the success they've been searching for.

It might be time for the Steelers to accept that they need to start over. It doesn't mean everything needs to, but that a lot of it does. That might include head coach Mike Tomlin and a few names who have been here for years.

Barry Reeger-Imagn Images

Steelers Need Changes on The Roster

The Steelers tried to build a Super Bowl roster this offseason. That meant going after Aaron Rodgers, trading for a star wide receiver in DK Metcalf and acquiring Jalen Ramsey in a blockbuster star-for-start trade. But so far, it's not working.

This team isn't producing what their talent says they should be. The defense is lost and falling fast to be one of the worst in the NFL, and the offense is hanging on for dear life, but they aren't strong enough to get the job done with a bad defensive unit.

Step one should be trying to save their season by adding at the trade deadline and accepting that everyone position is up for grabs. That everyone can be replaced and that if they're going to try and turn things around, no one that is underperforming should be considered safe on this team.

But step toward is thinking for the future. The Steelers need to, at some point, turn their attention to the big picture which is how they can recreate a Super Bowl team. That means they rebuild it, putting the key pieces together one again.

Luckily, they have foundational blocks already in place. The offensive line is built and sturdy, the running back is sound and there are new key pieces on defense they can build with.

Everything else could be changed.

Steelers Need to Consider the Big Change

Then, there's Mike Tomlin.

Barry Reeger-Imagn Images

The Steelers head coach is one of the best the NFL has seen in the last 20 years. He's a Hall of Famer in many's eyes, but that doesn't mean he's the right fit for the future of the Pittsburgh Steelers.

Sometimes, a change is needed. The Steelers have been avoiding that for years, only to find themselves here, with more eyes and louder fans than every before, all asking how much longer Tomlin has before the team moves on.

If a full rebuild is coming, a new head coach is required.

Will it happen? There's a real sense that it finally could. For the first time in years, there seems to be the belief that this is as bad as it can get, and that there are no more excuses to keep trying to keep this team afloat.

A rebuild is needed. Top to bottom. And maybe it's on the horizon.