For years, the Pittsburgh Steelers have been stuck in a mediocrity spiral. They've been just good enough to finish slightly above .500, make the playoffs, and flame out before winning a single postseason game.
While they may still hold bragging rights over the Cleveland Browns, they're not necessarily in a better position entering 2026. Todd Monken's team is at least trending in the right direction, boasting a plethora of young talent to build a sustainable project.
Pittsburgh, on the other hand, refuses to acknowledge the fact that it should have started rebuilding years ago. Now, Conor Orr of Sports Illustrated has them sitting at No. 23 in his post-NFL Draft power rankings, and for very good reasons.
"While I think everyone is operating under the assumption that Rodgers will return, Pittsburgh is woefully understocked in terms of a backup plan with a proven track record of winning games," Orr wrote. "The Steelers’ draft class feels like an amalgam of I-can-fix-it! prospects in a league with a mixed track record of development."
The Browns and Steelers suddenly appear headed in opposite directions
Rodgers' return is irrelevant. Even with him at the helm, the Steelers don't have enough top-tier talent to be considered a legitimate contender. They only have some mid-level and mostly aging players, a decimated offensive line, an injury-prone defense, and they lost their head coach.
Mike McCarthy might finally bring the offense back to life, but his teams' defenses have rarely ranked near the top of the league. That doesn't bode well for a Steelers team that has ceded plenty of ground in the AFC North and is clearly no longer the team to beat in the division.
Fortunately for the Browns, it looks like this once-great franchise has settled and been OK with just barely making the playoffs. They can't get the young talent they need to rebuild because they're always stuck in the final third of the first round, and they refuse to trade away the few valuable assets they have.
Of course, the Browns will take it. It's been long enough since Steelers fans have tried to little-bro the Browns, and it looks like the tide is about to shift. The Steelers hold an 83-65-1 lead in the all-time rivalry, but given the way both teams have fared in the offseason, it wouldn't be much of a surprise to see the Browns close the gap with two wins in 2026.
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