While the Pittsburgh Steelers have the reputation of being one of the more draft and develop-heavy teams in the league, they’re one of the teams with the lowest number of homegrown players on their 53-man roster, per Over The Cap.
Currently, 26 members of the 52 players currently on Pittsburgh’s roster are homegrown, which is 50% of their roster. That’s the fifth-lowest total in the NFL, just ahead of the Arizona Cardinals (45.6%), Las Vegas Raiders (46%), Houston Texans (49.2%). However, that’s slightly misleading as the signing of Desmond King hasn’t been made official yet. When that happens, the Steelers will have the fourth-lowest total, with 49% of the roster being homegrown.
Pittsburgh’s homegrown talent has produced the core of the team, with OLBs T.J. Watt and Alex Highsmith, DL Cameron Heyward, WRs Diontae Johnson and George Pickens and QB Kenny Pickett all among the Steelers’ homegrown talent.
However, Omar Khan made sure to look to add competition at every position group this offseason, and that led to an influx of outside free agents. Players like CB Patrick Peterson, LBs Cole Holcomb and Elandon Roberts, and OL Isaac Seumalo joined Pittsburgh this offseason, among others, and those guys are a key reason why this is the strongest roster that the Steelers have had in years.
The Steelers didn’t just rely on their internal depth and hope they could figure things out, instead going out and targeting players they thought would make them a better team. The signing of King is another example of that, as they add a veteran corner who can work outside or in the slot who also has special teams upside.
Khan’s done a great job this offseason and throughout the preseason looking to strengthen the roster at every turn. There’s a good mix of youth and veterans, and thanks to Khan’s work turning over the roster, the Steelers should be a playoff team. It will be a good mix of their homegrown and outside talent leading the charge.
Of the team’s homegrown talent, Heyward is by far the longest-tenured, having been selected in the first round back in 2011. After that, T.J. Watt, the team’s first-round selection back in 2017, is the second longest-tenured. That means that Heyward is the only player on this roster drafted by Pittsburgh that’s won a playoff game with the team, which is a pretty shocking statistic. This is the year for that to change, with guys like Watt hungry for their first real taste of team success with Pittsburgh.
The Steelers need to prove they can win on the big stage, and thanks to the work turning over their roster, this year is their best chance to do so. We’ll see if they can get it done in January.
