- Oct 12, 2025; Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, USA; Pittsburgh Steelers outside linebacker T.J. Watt (90) enters the field before the game at Acrisure Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Barry Reeger-Imagn Images / Barry Reeger-Imagn Images
The legendary head coach had a word of advice for his former team, the Pittsburgh Steelers.
PITTSBURGH — The Pittsburgh Steelers are off to quite a strong start to their season following years of mediocrity.
Now with a 4-1 record, the Steelers are well on their way to consecutive postseason berths and have a strong and deep roster for the first time in a while.
Bill Cowher’s Bold Idea for Steelers
That roster construction and their performance up to this point this season has caught the eye of a former Steelers coach, as Super Bowl Champion Bill Cowher took to CBS Sports’ The NFL Today to make a pointed comment about the Steelers’ roster and what they should do with it going forward.
“This team’s gonna get better, in theory, the more they play together,” Cowher said . “I think the biggest question you’re gonna have with them, being their health in December as they go into the playoffs. And I would say, along the way, counting snaps as you start to build this little bit of a lead. Developing the people behind you, and saving those legs. In the past few years, we haven’t had a healthy T.J. Watt or Cam Heyward.”
Cowher does make a decent point about keeping their star players healthy. Many teams in sports with more games will rest their star players as soon as the goal of the playoffs is met, such as in hockey. There are, however, a couple issues with the points that Cowher makes.
Why Steelers Would Never
First of all, head coach Mike Tomlin has always been against the idea of tanking and associated ideas, so the idea of resting star players for an extended period of time would likely go against Tomlin’s coaching philosophy.
Second, at this point in time, it is unclear who the star players of the team are. One of the issues with having such depth like the Steelers have this season is it is unclear who the star players are. T.J. Watt may have been outplayed by Nick Herbig and the defensive line has seen a new star roughly every week.
- Oct 12, 2025; Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, USA; Pittsburgh Steelers quarterback Aaron Rodgers (8) attempts to run the ball while Cleveland Browns defensive end Joe Tryon-Shoyinka (90) pursues during the second quarter at Acrisure Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Barry Reeger-Imagn Images / Barry Reeger-Imagn Images
That being said, the team is set up for success for the rest of the season. With a weak AFC North, the Steelers are in position to take advantage and rocket themselves to the playoffs and a possible playoff victory.
It should give the team an opportunity to use some of their depth pieces more to develop them, but they should not do it to the detriment of their top players.
