Just over a month after the Pro Football Hall of Fame Class of 2025 was enshrined in the hallowed halls of Canton, the attention has shifted to the 2026 class, and 128 players were nominated for the modern-era class Wednesday morning.
Among those 128 players are eight former Pittsburgh Steelers. That includes wide receiver Hines Ward, outside linebacker James Harrison, inside linebacker James Farrior, and defensive backs Carnell Lake and Allen Rossum.
Joining them this year as nominees in their first year of eligibly are center Maurkice Pouncey and guard David DeCastro.
After getting voted into the Steelers Hall of Honor in late July, Pouncey’s resume is about to get even stronger.
A first-round pick in the 2010 NFL Draft out of Florida, Pouncey went on to start 134 games for the Steelers, serving as one of the best centers in all of football year after year. He made the 2010s All-Decade Team and was a nine-time Pro Bowler. He was a first-team All-Pro three times and a second-team All-Pro twice. He also blocked for four 1,000-yard rushers in Pittsburgh and was a four-time team captain during his 11-year career with the Steelers.
DeCastro is also a former first-round pick, landing with the Steelers at No. 24 overall out of Stanford in the 2012 NFL Draft. He overcame a knee injury that cost him all but four games his rookie season to serve as a key part of one of the best offensive lines in football for a stretch, earning six Pro Bowl nods, two first-team All-Pro and one second-team All-Pro accolade. DeCastro started 125 games before hanging it up after the 2020 season due to injury.
Considered the best blocking wide receiver of his generation, and holding the distinction of 1,000 career receptions, Ward has been up for the Hall of Fame numerous times, making it as a semifinalist last year. But he hasn’t made it into the final discussion and appears to be stuck in a bit of a logjam at receiver.
A third-round pick out of the University of Georgia in the 1998 NFL Draft, Ward played 14 seasons with the Steelers, adding two Lombardi trophies and a Super Bowl MVP to his resume. Along with his 1,000 career receptions, he finished with 12,083 yards and 85 touchdowns.
Ward is among 18 receivers up for nomination for the Class of 2026.
Like Ward, Harrison was a semifinalist last season but couldn’t crack the final cutdown for the Hall of Fame. A member of the Steelers Hall of Honor, Harrison spent 14 seasons with the Steelers and is third in career sacks with 80.5, behind only T.J. Watt and Cameron Heyward.
During his playing career, which included stints with the Cincinnati Bengals and New England Patriots late in his career, Harrison recorded 811 tackles, 84.5 sacks, 34 forced fumbles, nine recoveries, eight interceptions and a touchdown. He also has a Defensive Player of the Year award in 2008 on his resume and was voted first-team All-Pro twice, earning five trips to the Pro Bowl as well.
Harrison’s 100-yard interception return for a touchdown against the Arizona Cardinals in Super Bowl XLIII remains a top NFL play of all time, which should undoubtedly help his candidacy. He retired as a two-time Super Bowl champion and played in four Super Bowls.
Farrior earns another Hall of Fame nomination, too, after putting together a terrific career in Pittsburgh. During his tenure in the Black and Gold, Farrior recorded at least 100 tackles in six of his 10 seasons, which includes a career-high of 141 in 2003.
Farrior was a vastly underrated piece within the Steelers’ defense under coordinator Dick LeBeau. He was a sound tackler and effective blitzer, recording 30.0 career sacks in Pittsburgh as a key cog in Dick LeBeau’s Fire X Blitz package.
