5 things to watch in Steelers' preseason opener vs Packers

The Steelers will face the Green Bay Packers in their preseason opener Aug. 13 at Acrisure Stadium. Although Aaron Rodgers is unlikely to play in the Steelers' first taste of the field in 2026, there is still plenty to look out for as the Steelers kick off the post-Tomlin era. For starters, it's against a team with whom the Steelers' coach and quarterback are intimately familiar. Mike McCarthy and Rodgers, of course, were together for 13 seasons in Green Bay, winning a Super Bowl in that span. The Steelers enter 2026 a relatively blank slate. Without Tomlin on the sidelines, the Steelers are likely to have a very different look this season. Whether that's for good or for bad, of course, is something only time can determine. Here are five things to watch out for in what will be new coach McCarthy’s first game since taking over for Mike Tomlin in January.  What will the McCarthy offense look like? We probably won’t see a ton of starters. And if we do, they likely won’t be in the game for very long. That means the structural differences between McCarthy’s offense and those of Tomlin’s recent offensive coordinators will be in the spotlight. McCarthy has spoken, for example, about his ambitious desire to get his skill players 55 touches per game. In past stops with Green Bay and Dallas, this has meant more aggressive first-down passing and more consistent, sustained drives than Steelers fans are likely used to. So, regardless of who’s out there, that touch total could be a nice early barometer of how McCarthy’s new team is picking up what he’s putting down in practice.  Required reading: Injured Steelers first-round pick likely to miss preseason opener Will any of Aaron Rodgers’ backups seize their moment? The 22-year NFL veteran has little to gain by putting himself out there much in an exhibition, which means we should be getting heavy doses of Mason Rudolph, Will Howard and third-round NFL draft pick Drew Allar. The latter two will have fans’ attention as they’re starved for a QB of the future to invest their hopes into. An injury cost Howard all of the 2025 preseason, so Thursday will mark the first NFL game action for the 2024 national championship-winning QB for the Ohio State Buckeyes. He’ll face pressure to show he can challenge Mason Rudolph, a proven backup who rallied the Steelers to reach the playoffs in 2023. And to hold off Allar, the Penn State product and third-round NFL draft pick who’s earned praise from scouts for his traits but needs to prove he can process pro defenses. A bad night from Howard would raise immediate questions of whether he’s destined for the practice squad as a former sixth-round pick.  Will Germie Bernard challenge Roman Wilson at receiver? GM Omar Khan took a widely praised step toward addressing his consistently disappointing receivers room by investing a second-round pick in the Alabama product back in April. If he’s going to see the field in 2026, it will likely be in the slot while taller receivers DK Metcalf and newly acquired Michael Pittman Jr. man the starting spots. That means he’ll need to go through Wilson, the former Michigan star who has totaled just 12 catches for 166 yards and two touchdowns in his first two NFL seasons. Wilson was listed as the starter in the slot on the initial training camp depth chart last week, and he’s earned glowing reviews both from Rodgers and observers of early practices in Latrobe. It sets up Thursday night as an intriguing head-to-head matchup in which Wilson will want to prove that he can take the next step in game action, while Bernard will want to show that he can shorten his learning curve.  Can Broderick Jones get himself back in the conversation at right tackle? The deck is heavily stacked against the team’s first-round pick from 2023. A lingering neck injury cost him the end of his 2025 campaign and a good chunk of the offseason. Khan subsequently chose not to exercise the team’s fifth-year option on his rookie contract. Then selected Arizona State’s Max Iheanachor with the first pick of the 2026 draft in Pittsburgh. Translation? The Steelers seem to be looking at Jones as quality depth for this year before likely letting him go in free agency in 2027. Then they will roll with Iheanachor on the right side and 2024 first-round pick Troy Fautanu on the left moving forward. And yet, Iheanachor’s injury last week may have opened a window for Jones to challenge Dylan Cook for the starting role instead. Coach Mike McCarthy said Tuesday that he does not expect Iheanachor to play. Cook, meanwhile, played well as Jones’ replacement last year, but Jones has the pedigree edge over his formerly undrafted teammate. He’ll need to demonstrate it – and fast – if he has any aspirations to stay in Pittsburgh, or the NFL itself for that matter.  Will Kaden Wetjen look like a return man worthy of a fourth-round pick? Fans were a bit perplexed when Khan made the Iowa receiver his first pick on Day 3 of the April draft. Scouts don’t think very highly of his ability to actually contribute at his position, and his numbers at Iowa certainly back up that theory. He caught just 20 passes for 151 yards for the Hawkeyes in 2025, so it’s hard to imagine those numbers improving in the pros. Instead, it seems Wetjen is here out of renewed focus on special teams amid revisions to the NFL’s kickoff rules the past couple of years. Wetjen was a statistical monster in that spot in college, returning a kickoff and three punts for touchdowns in 2025 while averaging 29.8 yards per punt return and 26.8 yards per kick return. By contrast, the Patriots led the NFL in punt return average last season at 17.3 yards while the Steelers were 21st at 8.7 yards. Fans will want to see that Wetjen can make his college success translate within a niche role. So don’t get caught sneaking out for a snack during kicks.  This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: 5 things to watch in Steelers' preseason opener vs Packers