The Pittsburgh Steelers have settled in under first-year head coach Mike McCarthy after some rough moments during the first few weeks of the season and have rode a four-game win streak into their Week 9 bye, leading to a 6-2 record and sole possession of first place in the AFC North.

Upon hiring McCarthy after Mike Tomlin stepped down following a 19-year stint at the helm with the Steelers, the general consensus was that the organization downgraded.

Pittsburgh looks like a rejuvenated football team, however, and its ceiling in 2026 appears to be higher than it has been in at least half a decade.

While Tomlin is no stranger to regular season success in the slightest, as evidenced by never turning in a losing campaign with the Steelers, the McCarthy era is off to a better start than anticipated.

While McCarthy and his staff still have to prove their momentum can translate to the postseason, has Pittsburgh's hot start to the year already diminished the legacy Tomlin left behind?

The Biggest Indictment on Tomlin

Lauded as one of the NFL's top defensive minds, Tomlin's units fell short of expectations on that side of the ball in recent years despite having loads of talent.

For example, in 2025, the Steelers' defense allowed the seventh-most yards (356.9) and 16th-most points (22.8) per game. Under defensive coordinator Patrick Graham this season, however, the group has given up the sixth-fewest yards (305.6) and third-fewest points (18.0).

If the year were to end today, that would mark the least amount of yards allowed per game for a Pittsburgh defense since 2019 and the fewest points given up per game since 2011.

Considering the core of the defense largely remains the same in 2026 as it was in 2025, outside of cornerback, where the Steelers have arguably gotten worse due to their trade of Joey Porter Jr. to the Dallas Cowboys, that's quite an indictment of Tomlin and how his philosophy resonated amongst the group as compared to where it now stands with Graham calling the shots.

Has Tomlin's Legacy Been Tainted?

It was pretty clear, even for multiple years, that a parting of ways between Tomlin and the Steelers would be beneficial for both sides.

Sometimes a change and a fresh perspective, or voice, is necessary to help spark a team and an organization. That was certainly the case for Pittsburgh, who lost seven-straight playoff games under Tomlin and felt like it was stuck in the mind to a certain extent.

McCarthy has come in and introduced a slew of changes alongside his staff that appear to be paying off early in his tenure. What the rest of the season and the long-term future for the regime holds remains to be seen, but the hire feels like a success thus far.

At the same time, even if Tomlin stepping down and bringing in McCarthy has worked out for the Steelers up to this point, that should have zero bearing on how the former's legacy with the franchise is viewed.

He's still a future Hall of Famer who brought a Super Bowl title back to Pittsburgh in 2008 and had the team in playoff contention on an annual basis for nearly two decades.

Tomlin consistently elevated both the floor and ceiling of the Steelers, and it sure feels like he's generally underappreciated for his body of work with the black and gold.

No matter what McCarthy accomplishes in Pittsburgh, whether it be winning the team a Lombardi Trophy and/or developing its next franchise quarterback, it should not taint Tomlin's legacy in the slightest or take away from his long list of accomplishments.