Mike Tomlin said change was coming. It didn’t happen to the coaching staff and fans who wanted Tomlin ousted were never getting their wish. But oh boy, has the roster had a major chunk taken out of it. The 2025 Pittsburgh Steelers’ roster will look a lot different than the 2024 version.
Inherently, change isn’t good or bad. It’s all about the hows and whys—how the change happens and why it occurs. After eight straight years without a playoff win, the Steelers understandably felt the need to shake up the roster.
Through free agent departures, trades, and releases, here’s a list of every Steeler who finished 2024 with the roster but won’t be part of the 2025 squad, paired with the 2024 total snaps (offense, defense, and special teams) lost. It includes current free agents who remain unsigned, TE MyCole Pruitt, and the like. Names could return, but at this point in the offseason, they appear unlikely to circle back.
Buckle up. It’s a long list.
| Player | Total 2024 Snaps Lost |
|---|---|
| OT Dan Moore Jr. | 1,132 |
| CB Donte Jackson | 834 |
| WR George Pickens | 776 |
| WR Van Jefferson | 723 |
| QB Russell Wilson | 719 |
| RB Najee Harris | 571 |
| LB Elandon Roberts | 570 |
| DL Larry Ogunjobi | 535 |
| QB Justin Fields | 408 |
| DB Damontae Kazee | 378 |
| TE MyCole Pruitt | 286 |
| CB Cam Sutton | 286 |
| OG James Daniels | 208 |
| NT Montravius Adams | 207 |
| ILB Tyler Matakevich | 195 |
| WR Mike Williams | 171 |
| EDGE Preston Smith | 164 |
| QB Kyle Allen | 2 |
| TOTAL SNAPS LOST: | 8,165 |
As we noted yesterday, the Steelers turning over their previous season-leading passer, rusher, and receiver is a literal franchise first.
But the changes go beyond just those offensive pillars. Essentially, every position group has been changed at a starter or rotational level, with at least 150 snaps lost in 2024: quarterback, running back, wide receiver, offensive line, defensive line, outside linebacker, inside linebacker, cornerback, and safety. Only the specialists, kicker and punter, weren’t touched in some notable fashion.
Some of the losses were expected. The Steelers had an unusually large free agency class. Linemen like Dan Moore Jr. and James Daniels weren’t going to return, and younger players counted on to fill their roles. Ditto with Larry Ogunjobi defensively.
Still, it’s the type of change usually accompanied by a brand new regime—out with the old, in with the new. Pittsburgh didn’t change head coach or general manager, nor did they make a move at coordinator, as Arthur Smith and Teryl Austin return. The coaching staff largely remained intact. The players experienced the mass exodus.
In fairness, Pittsburgh lost thousands of snaps from 2023 to 2024. But the Steelers dealt with more in-season injuries that forced replacements (the safety and inside linebacker rooms were gutted), moves Pittsburgh didn’t have to make in 2024. And had it not been for injuries to Daniels and Pickens, who missed several games, that 8,100-figure would’ve come within range of 10,000 snaps.
The fact that the Steelers are making more sweeping changes in back-to-back years (and really, a third-straight year given the 2022 to 2023 changes in Omar Khan and Andy Weidl’s first full offseason at the helm) makes this figure all the more notable.
How much better will Pittsburgh get? No one can say. Ideally, they got more explosive at running back, added much-needed youth to the defensive line, and added a smart vet in Darius Slay at cornerback. Of course, how they fare at quarterback and replacing George Pickens at receiver will determine the course of the season. More of the same (Wild Card competitive, first round exit), something better (first playoff win since 2016), or something worse (Tomlin’s first losing season).
The point is less about discussing the outlook. There’s time to look ahead. For the moment, it’s about looking back at what’s lost. Some of it is good riddance. But it’s a massive number of snaps to replace for a team that professes to never be in full rebuild mode. Based on that 8,165 figure alone, it sure feels like it.
