The Pittsburgh Steelers’ 2021 season is over, already eliminated from the postseason after suffering a 42-21 loss at the hands of Patrick Mahomes and the Kansas City Chiefs. They just barely made the postseason with a 9-7-1 record and a little help from their friends.
This is an offseason of major change, with the retirement of Ben Roethlisberger, the possible retirement of general manager Kevin Colbert, and the decisions about the futures of many important players to be made, such as Joe Haden, Stephon Tuitt, JuJu Smith-Schuster, and others—some already decided, some not.
Aside from exploring their options at the quarterback position, the top global priority, once again, figures to be addressing the offensive line, which they did not do quite adequately enough a year ago. Dan Moore Jr. looks like he may have a future as a full-time starter, but Kendrick Green was clearly not ready. Chukwuma Okorafor was re-signed, but Trai Turner was not. James Daniels and Mason Cole were added in free agency.
These are the sorts of topics among many others that we have been exploring on a daily basis and will continue to do so. Football has become a year-round pastime and there is always a question to be asked. There is rarely a concrete answer, but this is your venue for exploring the topics we present through all their uncertainty.
Question: How many brothers will be employed by the Steelers in September?
Since it’s Father’s Day, it’s kind of a topical question. As we sit here today, the Steelers currently have four sets of siblings signed to their 90-man roster. How many of them will make it into the regular season, whether on the 53-man roster or the practice squad? There’s a good chance at least half of more of these siblings part ways, or at least fail to make the 53.
The safest duo is, of course, the Watts, with T.J. obviously not going anywhere. Derek is the Steelers’ special teams captain and a respected special teams player, though one should not set this one in stone. Between the other brother you’re thinking of right now and the depth at the tight end position, there could be a ‘surprise’ cut here.
Next up is the Heywards, with Cameron arguably the nucleus of this team now. Young brother Connor was just drafted in April as a sixth-round pick. While he’ll probably make the 53-man roster, I’m guessing, it’s not a guarantee. They would obviously want to sign him to the practice squad if he didn’t, but there’s always the risk of waivers, and surely there is a good chance there would be interest.
Up next is the Edmundses, with Terrell a starting safety. Older brother Trey has been back and forth between the practice squad and the 53-man roster for the past four years, but is still hanging around. The siblings most in jeopardy are Carlos and Khalil Davis, both of whom are likely outside the roster bubble to make the 53. But both could very easily be candidates to make the practice squad.
It is conceivable that, come September, all eight brothers are still with the team, at least on the practice squad. But nobody should be surprised to see two or three gone. Four is even possible if neither of the Davises make the cut, but five is highly unlikely, as at least one of Connor Heyward and Derek Watt is pretty much a guarantee to make the roster.
