As the Pittsburgh Steelers open their 59th training camp at Saint Vincent College on July 28, 2026, head coach Mike McCarthy is overhauling the team’s long-standing daily routine. In a major shift from the Mike Tomlin era, McCarthy has instituted morning practices and eliminated live tackling entirely to protect players from injury.
A New Morning Schedule and No Live Tackling Under Mike McCarthy
For the first time in nearly twenty years, the Steelers are holding training camp without Mike Tomlin at the helm. Greenfield native Mike McCarthy has taken over the franchise as just its fourth head coach since 1969, bringing an entirely different philosophy to Unity Township. The most striking departure from the Tomlin years is the elimination of live tackling during training camp workouts, a calculated move by McCarthy to reduce the risk of injuries.
“Tackling is a good way to go. I’ve done it, but I feel like we’ll be able to get it done in other ways of training, particularly in our tackling drills and the team drills. Injuries are part of the game. You have to do the best you can. It’s a judgment [call]. You have to reduce risk. We’ll have [the goal line drill], but we won’t have live tackling.”
Mike McCarthy, Head Coach
McCarthy arrives in Pittsburgh with 18 seasons of head coaching experience, as the 2026 season marks his 19th year leading an NFL team after spending his first 13 seasons with the Green Bay Packers before coaching the Dallas Cowboys. Steelers Owner Art Rooney II was disappointed to lose Tomlin, but he quickly found a replacement in Mike McCarthy, while General Manager Omar Khan has done his part to put the roster together and make McCarthy have tough decisions, from the depth chart to the initial roster. Between free agency and new contracts to a busy draft weekend, this is where the competition begins. McCarthy’s already anticipating a difficult day when it comes time to cut down to 53, noting there are four quarterbacks with pedigree and promise, be it short-term or long-term, alongside backups with position versatility, special teams aces and rookies eager to contribute.
“I’ve been here the last couple years sometimes, back in my dorm room trying to look into ideas of adding guys at different positions. I’m not saying we’re not going to or we couldn’t at some point, but I just feel really good about where this roster is. I really do. I don’t feel like there’s a sense of urgency to jump into something else right now.”
Omar Khan, General Manager
Beyond the lack of thunderous collisions in drills like backs-on-backers, the daily calendar has flipped. Tomlin traditionally favored a 3 p.m. practice window during the hottest part of the afternoon to test his players’ mental toughness and conditioning. McCarthy, drawing on a systematic routine instilled by his father in Greenfield, moves team activities to an 11 a.m. start, getting the heavy lifting done early before an afternoon walkthrough. The 62-year-old coach arrives at Latrobe with few memories but a profound sense of duty, having grown up just an eight-minute drive from the Steelers’ practice facility over the Hot Metal Bridge along the Monongahela River in Greenfield, where he often stopped at Calvary Catholic Cemetery to remember moments from his youth with his brother, Joe McCarthy III.
T.J. Watt and Veterans Adjust to the First-Day-of-School Atmosphere
For seasoned veterans who only ever known one head coach in Pittsburgh, the transition feels surreal. Edge rusher T.J. Watt, entering his tenth season with the franchise, noted that arriving at Saint Vincent College carries a distinctly different energy now, marking his first training camp under someone other than Mike Tomlin since his arrival in 2017 as a four-time All Pro outside linebacker.
“I feel like the first day of school.”
T.J. Watt, Outside Linebacker
While the physical surroundings remain identical—Watt sleeps in the same dorm room, eats in the same dining spots, and lifts in the same weight room—the systematic precision enforced by McCarthy keeps the atmosphere fresh.
Broderick Jones Cleared and Roster Battles Take Shape
General Manager Omar Khan and McCarthy enter camp facing important decisions regarding the 53-man roster, though Khan stated there is no immediate urgency to add outside pieces. Among the most critical developments on the offensive line is the return of fourth-year tackle Broderick Jones, who finished the prior campaign on the reserve/injured list due to a neck issue. Jones has been medically cleared to open camp.
“Broderick is a starter-level player. He has position flexibility, and that’s how we’ll get him started. … We’re going to work him back in.”
Mike McCarthy, Head Coach
Jones is progressing well according to Khan, though team leadership will exercise caution with his workload alongside other roster evaluations.
Worth a look