McCarthy Overhauls Steelers Practice, Eliminates Live Tackling
He has swapped padded contact for GPS‑monitored, team‑based drills to protect players and accelerate evaluation of the roster's young quarterbacks.
Overview
- Friday's sessions in Latrobe featured almost no individual drills and fast, walkthrough-style 11-on-11s that signaled a clear shift in day-to-day practice structure.
- McCarthy announced the team will not run live tackling in camp and said every drill is planned with GPS workload data to manage player stress and recovery.
- The coach split quarterbacks between fields so he could spend direct, hands-on time with Drew Allar and Will Howard as part of a focused development push.
- Aaron Rodgers has been working under center more often in practice, a preference McCarthy is accommodating while Rodgers remains the starter for 2026.
- The changes reflect both modern NFL contact limits under the current CBA and McCarthy's intent to assess whether the roster includes a 2027 starter, with player safety and long-term evaluation as key aims.