CeeDee Lamb comments a good sign for Steelers offense following offseason move in Pittsburgh

The Pittsburgh Steelers are in the middle of going through a transformative process as an organization. Mike McCarthy is the franchise's new head coach and offensive play-caller, which is a major change after Mike Tomlin stepped down as the head coach after 19 seasons. This change in coaching philosophy marks the first time the Steelers have had an offensive-minded head coach in over 50 years, and hopefully it will help the offensive performance improve during the 2026 season. This is an area the Steelers have struggled in as of late, and fans are hoping that script gets flipped.

McCarthy became a household name during his time coaching the Green Bay Packers. He called prolific offenses while with the Packers, and that trend continued when he went to the Dallas Cowboys. Hopefully that continues on as fans in Pittsburgh have been begging for an updated and innovative offensive approach. 

One of McCarthy's star players in Dallas was wide receiver CeeDee Lamb, and the veteran recently went on the "Ross Tucker Podcast," where he was asked about what Pittsburgh is getting in McCarthy as the new head coach.

"Oh my god, a great guy," Lamb said. "He loves Pittsburgh. I love Mike. Just coming in, he's a great time. As soon as you walk in the building, you're going to feel his energy and you're going to know what he wants to do. He wants to go vertical with the ball, I'm going to tell you that right now. He's going to do everything, he's going to tailor his offense and get things situated. Again, that's another guy that I feel like I would run through a wall for. Mike did a really great job of just developing me through my first five years."

Lamb touched on the character of McCarthy while also crediting him for developing him in the early stages of his career and getting him to where he is today as one of the league's best wide receivers. That is a position the Steelers have struggled in lately, so there is hope there with McCarthy coming in to run the show. There is also a lot of noise surrounding Pittsburgh drafting a wide receiver early in the 2026 NFL Draft, and this comment from Lamb makes that even more exciting.

Another important piece of information to pay attention to from Lamb is McCarthy's desire to stretch the field in the passing game and get vertical with the football. This is great news for DK Metcalf and the offense as a whole. Pittsburgh has been rather conservative in the passing game as of late, and McCarthy will look to open things up. This is good for Metcalf, and it could play a role in the team deciding to bring back Calvin Austin III, who is a pending free agent.

Lamb has excelled in his career ever since being drafted by the Cowboys, and hopefully Pittsburgh can find its own version of the star wide receiver under McCarthy.

Steelers' offensive approach will rely on the quarterback situation

The Steelers' current quarterback situation is murky, which might be putting it lightly. The only quarterbacks under contract for the 2026 season thus far are Mason Rudolph and Will Howard, and neither is viewed as the clear-cut starter. The organization is also waiting on a decision from Aaron Rodgers, but he is also a pending free agent. Even if he decides to put retirement on hold, there is no guarantee that he will want to play another season in Pittsburgh, especially with Tomlin out of the picture.

Pittsburgh can add another quarterback through the draft, free agency, or via trade, but until there is more clarity at the position, it is going to be hard to predict what the offense might look like.