The Pittsburgh Steelers won the AFC North last season and seem primed to make another run at the division title in 2026, but it certainly won’t be easy.
The Baltimore Ravens are still hanging around, the Cincinnati Bengals have a healthy Joe Burrow and the Cleveland Browns … well, they’re just the Browns.
Nevertheless, the Steelers will face an uphill battle to repeat as AFC North champions, especially with Aaron Rodgers being another year older under center.
Pittsburgh now has a new head coach in Mike McCarthy, who worked with Rodgers in Green Bay for many years and could represent a much-needed change for the club.
The Steelers also made some intriguing free-agent signings, such as adding defensive backs Jamel Dean and Jaquan Brisker to bolster their secondary and running back Rico Dowdle to replace Kenneth Gainwell.
But Pittsburgh also made a rather puzzling move: it signed halfback Travis Homer, which has Mark Powell of FanSided wondering exactly what the Steelers are doing.
“So, where does Homer come in? Your guess is as good as mine. Dowdle and [Jaylen] Warren will split the lion’s share of the carries. Whatever is left should (hopefully) go to Kaleb Johnson, an Iowa product who was selected on Day 2 of the 2025 NFL Draft and never really received a fair shake under [Mike] Tomlin following a mistake he made on special teams in his rookie season,” Powell wrote.
Homer spent the 2025 campaign with the Chicago Bears, carrying the ball just one time for minus-2 yards. He entered the league with the Seattle Seahawks in 2019 and spent four seasons there before joining the Bears in 2023.
Over the course of his seven-year NFL tenure, Homer has accumulated a grand total of 474 rushing yards and a touchdown while averaging 5.3 yards per attempt.
Powell doesn’t even think Homer should be the No. 4 running back on the Steelers’ depth chart, instead stating that that spot should go to rookie Eli Heidenreich.
“Beyond those three, most Steelers fans would rather Heidenreich receive a roster spot over the likes of Homer, who is a known commodity in the NFL,” Powell added.
Pittsburgh signed Homer to a one-year, $1.3 million contract, so it can always cut him before the start of the regular season.
