Steelers' Winners And Losers From Second 2026 Preseason Game Against...

The Pittsburgh Steelers started off the Mike McCarthy era in the Steel City on the right foot in the first week of the 2026 preseason. A 28-9 victory over the Green Bay Packers had fans excited, and the matchup had both winners and losers. On Friday, the team took on the New York Jets for the final home exhibition contest of the year, and the result was a 17-0 loss. There were some things to like, but the game also displayed that there are still plenty of kinks to work out. Steelers Winners 1.) Rayshawn Jenkins Pittsburgh has a lot of questions at the safety position. It was great for fans to see DeShon Elliott on the field against the Jets, and Jaquan Brisker is also in the equation after signing a free-agent deal with the Steelers. However, Rayshawn Jenkins was the one who showed out on Friday evening. Early on in the game, he blew up a New York run in the backfield and soon after forced an intentional grounding when he was extremely close to sacking Cade Klubnik. Jenkins also registered two quarterback hits. If he can consistently perform like he did on Friday, the safety depth suddenly gets a lot better for McCarthy. 2.) Cameron Johnston Welcome back to Pittsburgh, Cameron Johnston. After signing a three-year, $9 million deal in the 2024 offseason, the punter suffered a devastating injury that eventually led to him not really playing much for the Steelers at all. He returned on a one-year contract after being cut in 2025 and is pretty much a lock to make the roster at this point. His first two boots against the Jets averaged out at 53 yards, including a pin inside the five-yard-line. He ended up punting six times with an average of over 50 yards per kick. 3.) Carson Bruener Special teams is something that McCarthy values. The Steelers' head coach has repeatedly said that he wants guys on the 53-man roster to be able to work in more than just one role. Well, Carson Bruener proved that he is more than just someone who can contribute in the third phase of the game. He had a sack and a tackle for loss in the first half and adds a unique layer of depth that any team would seriously value. 4.) Mason Rudolph Who said you have to play to be named a winner of a preseason game? Will Howard was not good and Drew Allar didn't necessarily impress, either, even though the offensive line didn't do them many favors. Mason Rudolph is a veteran with plenty of experience, and it seems as if it will be extremely hard for anyone to unseat him as the second-string signal-caller with just a couple of weeks to go until the real football kicks off. The two 5.) Kaleb Johnson It's not over for the 2025 third-round pick just yet. Kaleb Johnson got plenty of work on Friday and while he didn't necessarily have any incredible highlights, he proved to the coaching staff that he is capable of handling a workload and catching passes out of the backfield.