AP Photo Pittsburgh Steelers owner Art Rooney II, right, walks with Steelers general manager Omar Khan at the NFL football annual meetings, Tuesday, March 31, 2026, in Phoenix.

PITTSBURGH (AP) — How quickly narratives can change. Even in Pittsburgh.

A year ago the Steelers pointed toward the 2026 draft as a chance for the host city to showcase itself and the host team to find the young quarterback it has so desperately needed since Ben Roethlisberger retired in early 2022.

Now? Maybe not so much.

While the area around Acrisure Stadium and Point State Park is in the final stages of years-long preparations for the draft, the Steelers suddenly find themselves in a very different spot than they were 12 months ago.

Mike Tomlin’s departure, Mike McCarthy’s arrival and a quarterback draft class that doesn’t look nearly as deep as it did last spring means just about everything is on the table when the Steelers make the 21st overall pick (one of 12 selections they have stockpiled for this draft) in front of a massive crowd that could swell to the hundreds of thousands.

“We’re all searching for the next franchise player, this guy (who’s) going to be our quarterback for 10 or 15 years,” general manager Omar Khan said at the NFL combine in February. “And you know, it might be Will (Howard).”

Or it might not. For as bullish as all involved seem to be on Howard, a sixth-round pick out of Ohio State a year ago whose rookie year was hampered by a hand injury sustained early in training camp, Pittsburgh has made it very clear that it is open to having 42-year-old Aaron Rodgers return for one last ride after the four-time MVP led the Steelers to the AFC North championship last winter. While there remains no official timetable on when Rodgers might make a decision, the reality is Pittsburgh will almost certainly turn its attention to a position other than quarterback when it goes on the clock.

The offensive line could use reinforcements after veteran guard Isaac Seumalo left in free agency. The arrival of wide receiver Michael Pittman in a trade with Indianapolis perhaps means the need to find another big-play receiving threat to put opposite DK Metcalf isn’t quite as pressing as it seemed a couple of months ago.

Meaning it’s more likely they find a role player at that position in the middle rounds than use a pick on one near the top of the draft.

Though Khan bolstered the secondary by signing cornerback Jamel Dean and safety Jaquan Brisker, a Pittsburgh native, in free agency, there’s room for more talent in the defensive backfield.

The reality is the Steelers have plenty of flexibility. The avalanche of picks they have accumulated in recent years means Khan could package some of them to trade up and maybe even include a veteran player or two — perhaps outside linebacker Alex Highsmith, who is signed through 2027 but could be replaceable thanks to the rise of Nick Herbig — in a potential deal.

Anything and everything appears to be on the table.

“I think we have options,” Khan said. “So, I’d love to be able to stand here every year and say I have 12 picks, I’ll take that right now.”

Need

There are currently only four receivers under contract for 2026, and one of them is Roman Wilson, who has struggled to establish himself through two seasons. Taking one or even two, particularly if they have shown they can fill in capably in the slot, makes sense.

So does adding younger options to the back end of the defense. Brisker, 26, signed a one-year “prove it” deal after coming over from Chicago. DeShon Elliott will be 29 when organized team activities begin and is coming off a knee injury that cost him the back half of the 2025 season. Jalen Ramsey was a Pro Bowler for the eighth time in his first year with Pittsburgh but turns 32 in October.

Don’t need

The addition of running back Rico Dowdle — who played for McCarthy in Dallas before running for 1,076 yards and a career-high six touchdowns last season in Carolina — to pair with Jaylen Warren gives the Steelers a solid one-two punch in the backfield, with the outside hope that Kaleb Johnson bounces back from a difficult rookie season.

While you can never have too many edge rushers, if Khan decides paying both Highsmith and T.J. Watt — who have a combined salary cap hit this season of more than $62 million — is worth it, don’t expect them to be in the market for another outside linebacker unless they take a flyer on someone late.