Between hiring Christian Parker as the youngest defensive coordinator in franchise history and getting out in front of contract extensions, the Dallas Cowboys have spent the 2026 offseason deviating from outdated team-building philosophies.
Meanwhile, in the AFC, the Pittsburgh Steelers have built a strange habit of following the Cowboys’ longtime blueprint. Whether that’s a recipe for success is another discussion (it's not), but for a franchise more interested in staying relevant than tearing things down and rebuilding properly, it tracks.
The Steelers' 2026 offseason has been oddly Cowboys-coded, and that continued on Monday when they signed star kicker Chris Boswell to a four-year, $28 million extension.
That is the exact deal Dallas gave to Brandon Aubrey. Even with an opportunity to change the market, Pittsburgh chose to mirror the Cowboys.
Aubrey's contract includes $20 million guaranteed and an $8.25 million signing bonus. The details of Boswell's deal will determine who sits atop the kicker market, but it's still strange how closely the structure mirrors Aubrey's extension.
The Steelers' offseason is a little too Dallas Cowboys-coded for our liking
The Boswell stunt is hardly the tip of the iceberg, as the Steelers hired former Cowboys head coach Mike McCarthy in the same role. While McCarthy deserved another coaching gig, the hire was widely criticized because of the fit.
Nowhere close to contending in the AFC, Pittsburgh should have hit reset with a younger head coach, whether it was Jesse Minter, Klint Kubiak, or Brian Flores, all of whom interviewed for the job. McCarthy will keep them competitive, but he won't take the Steelers to the promised land. The timelines don't add up.
The hiring of McCarthy practically guaranteed the Steelers would keep raiding the Cowboys. Sure enough, former Dallas running back Rico Dowdle followed him to Pittsburgh on a two-year, $12 million deal in free agency. That’s a hefty investment for a player who flamed out after a promising start in Carolina.
Brock Hoffman, who started 14 games for Dallas over the last two seasons, also reunited with McCarthy on a one-year, $2.5 million deal. For a team supposedly trying to close the gap in the AFC, making a former Cowboys backup your only outside offensive line signing is certainly a choice.
The raid didn't stop at players, either.
The Steelers hired Cowboys assistant offensive line coach Ramon Chinyoung to serve as their new running backs coach. An unsung member of Brian Schottenheimer’s staff, Chinyoung became yet another example of Pittsburgh dipping into Dallas’ well.
Pittsburgh also tried to steal longtime Cowboys tight ends coach Lunda Wells, interviewing him for their offensive coordinator vacancy before pivoting elsewhere.
It’s been remarkable -- and frankly off-putting -- to watch the Steelers turn their offseason into a Cowboys tribute act. The obsession was flattering for a while, but Boswell’s extension took it too far.
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