Roster turnover is inevitable—after all, the average team adds about 10 or so players to their offseason roster from the college ranks per year, if not more, through the NFL Draft and college free agency. At least five or more of them tend to make the 53-man roster. That doesn’t factor in veteran free agency and the trade market, as well as retirement.
As a result, it is not atypical to have a year-to-year roster turnover of 30 percent or more, and the gradual discarding of former draft picks will be a part of that—they could be traded as well. The roster the 2023 Steelers are putting together seems to be particularly vulnerable to turnover of former draft picks, so let’s run down the list of potential candidates, in loose order from the most likely to the least.
More Likely:
DB Tre Norwood
The 2021 seventh-round draft pick spent most of training camp unavailable due to injury. His role decreased last season with the addition of Damontae Kazee as the third safety. With Keanu Neal and Kazee in the mix, and the emergence of Elijah Riley, not to mention the fact that he hasn’t gotten a lot of on-field work, many expect that he will not make the final cut.
DE Isaiahh Loudermilk
A fifth-round pick in that same class, Loudermilk could be a victim of the numbers game in a deep group along the defensive line. With the drafting of Keeanu Benton and the veteran additions of Armon Watts and Breiden Fehoko, he may well have to not only beat out an experienced veteran but also bank on the Steelers keeping seven players at the position.
G/C Kendrick Green
Yet another member of the 2021 class, this time in the third round, Kendrick Green certainly appears to be at the end of the road. He has not demonstrated any meaningful growth as an offensive lineman. In addition to displaying very basic issues with snapping at center, he found himself unable to hold his ground while working at guard in the preseason finale. There is more than enough depth to get by without a backup center whose snaps you cannot trust to get to the quarterback.
[This was written prior to the news of yesterday’s trade but I wanted to include my initial thoughts anyway.]
G Kevin Dotson
Dotson is the most talented player I’m including in the ‘more likely’ category, though I still maintain that he is going to be on the roster unless he is traded. However, they are probably motivated to trade him, which is why he is in the ‘more likely’ category. The chances of him being traded are very real. Then again, he is also dealing with a shoulder injury that has limited his preseason work. His elevated salary north of $2.7 million as an interior lineman who can’t play center and is not the immediate reserve at guard make him vulnerable, without question. But with the team talking about the importance of depth along the offensive line this year and the fact that they don’t need the cap space, I still feel inclined to believe he will stick around unless they can get at least a swap of late-round picks to dump his salary.
Less Likely:
TE Zach Gentry
The fifth-year tight end only re-signed this offseason on a veteran salary benefit contract with a $152,500 signing bonus, the maximum that can be given to a player while qualifying for salary cap benefits for the team. With Darnell Washington looking ready to play and Gentry’s limited usefulness on special teams and lack of further upside offensively, he could certainly be let go. But with no true fullback this year and Connor Heyward’s versatility, there is certainly room to carry him. I’m inclined to think they will.
ILB Mark Robinson
While I do think the second-year linebacker’s job is safe, one does have to give consideration to the possibility. He is clearly outside of the top three in the rotation behind Cole Holcomb, Elandon Roberts, and Kwon Alexander, and Tanner Muse (and Nick Kwiatkoski) both offer more on special teams. Robinson still struggles with some of the mental aspects of the position just a few years into playing it, but I trust the coaching staff is invested in continuing to develop him. It’s not impossible, though unlikely, they hope to continue that with him on the practice squad.
Anthony McFarland Jr.
If the Steelers do not make an outside addition here, then McFarland’s job is safe. A 2020 fourth-round pick, he is the only player on this list who has already been cut before, spending last season on the practice squad (elevated for one game due to injury). But he’s had a strong offseason, the best of his career, and seems a reasonably safe bet unless the front office just finds an outside name they like.
Pressley Harvin III
I believe the only possible way Harvin is not the Steelers’ punter this year is if the team gets a very tempting trade offer. That influenced their decision several years ago in choosing between Brad Wing and Jordan Berry. The New York Giants offered a seventh-round pick for Wing, and Berry got the job accordingly. Braden Mann is a capable punter but does not have Harvin’s talent. And Harvin was definitely the better punter this offseason.
BONUS: CB James Pierre
Though not a draft pick, I am including James Pierre anyway. Signed with the first group of college free agents in 2020 out of Florida Atlantic, he has spent every second of his NFL career on the Steelers’ active roster. Had rookie Cory Trice Jr. not gotten injured, he would very likely be on the outside looking in. As it stands, he still may not want to exhale until 4 PM on Tuesday.
