The Steelers are now in their offseason after failing to reach the playoffs in 2022, coming up just a game short of sneaking in as the seventh seed. They needed help in week 18 and only got some of it, so instead they sat home and watched the playoffs with the rest of us.
On tap is figuring out how to be on the field in January and February instead of being a spectator. They started out 2-6, digging a hole that proved too deep to dig out of even if they managed to go 7-2 in the second half of the year.
Starting from the end of the regular season and leading all the way up to the beginning of the 2023 season, there are plenty of questions that need answered, starting with who will be the offensive coordinator. Which free agents will be kept? Who might be let go due to their salary? How might they tackle free agency with this new front office? We’ll try to frame the conversation in relevant ways as long as you stick with us throughout this offseason, as we have for many years.
Question: Which players have the most to lose during training camp?
While the primary objective of training camp is simply to get the team ready for the regular season, one of the key elements of doing so is determining not only who will be on the roster, but who will be responsible for key jobs.
That means winners and losers. That means players with more to lose and more to gain. We talked about those who have more to gain yesterday. Today we’re going to take a look at some of the players with the most to lose. Much of it will simply be the flipside of yesterday’s battles, but there’s more involved than that.
We have the start with the most obvious, which is Dan Moore Jr., who is being challenged by first-round pick Broderick Jones for the starting left tackle position. But another offensive lineman with a lot to lose is Kevin Dotson. Already resigned to the likelihood of his losing his starting job, the fact that his salary approaches a few million also puts his job as a reserve in jeopardy.
Tight end Zach Gentry is another player who seems to be in an insecure position after the drafting of Darnell Washington. The Steelers really seem interested in using Connor Heyward in a variety of roles. If the Steelers keep four running backs, or fullback Monte Pottebaum makes the team, Gentry may be saying goodbye, at least to the 53-man roster.
We can also talk about Isaiahh Loudermilk, whose position has been restocked this offseason with Keeanu Benton, Breiden Fehoko, and Armon Watts. Pittsburgh may have to keep seven defensive linemen for him to have much chance of sticking.
Who are some of your most vulnerable Steelers with the most to lose who may not have been named above already? An ideal candidate would probably already have had an established role on the team. Perhaps James Pierre at cornerback, or Miles Killebrew at safety as a special teamer, could be in that discussion, as well as wide receiver Miles Boykin. We should also mention long snapper Christian Kuntz and punter Pressley Harvin III, both of whom have had competition added this offseason.
