Bringing back an exercise I did ahead of the 2024 Pittsburgh Steelers season. With the team one month away from reporting to training camp, it’s worth taking inventory of the Steelers’ 91-man roster (the team is carrying an extra player because of EDGE Julius Welschof’s international exemption) and offering a framework of the odds that each player makes the 53-man roster.
As our previous exercises outlined, there are a few caveats.
– This percentage only refers to the odds the player makes the Steelers’ initial 53-man roster. It doesn’t consider their practice squad odds. With a 16-man taxi squad (17 with the exemption), many players who don’t have much chance to make the 53 will end up there. Keep that in mind when examining these percentages.
– It doesn’t consider or account for inevitable injuries. That will change the landscape of the Steelers’ roster, but those are unpredictable and won’t be factored in. What will be considered are potential trades and other roster moves to reshape the roster prior to Week 1.
– Those who are listed with identical percentages are ranked in alphabetical order.
Part One – The Longshots
Part Two – Outside Looking In
Part Three – Squarely On The Bubble
Part Four – Inside The Bubble
Steelers Near-Locks (76%-95% Of Making Steelers 53-man Roster)
RB Kenneth Gainwell – 95%
QB Will Howard – 95%
LS Christian Kuntz – 95%
CB Cory Trice Jr. – 95%
C Ryan McCollum – 90%
DL Daniel Ekuale – 85%
OL Spencer Anderson – 80%
Most of the group sits in the 95-percent range. Gainwell profiles as the third-string back and kick returner, whose receiving chops have him standing out from others on the depth chart. Cordarrelle Patterson’s continued rostering is the only hesitation, as he also offers a versatile/returner role. Trey Sermon is also an intriguing offseason addition. Still, confidence in high Gainwell sticks.
Similar can be said for Howard. I know many would put him at 100 percent, and I was high on him as anyone in the pre-draft process. This isn’t a knock on his skillset. But he’s a sixth-round rookie competing with someone who has veteran experience in Skylar Thompson. That counts for something. Howard still has to play at a baseline-acceptable level to wrap up the job.
Kuntz was higher until the team added veteran snapper Tucker Addington. He may just be offseason depth, but Pittsburgh spent a chunk of the offseason searching for a snapper.
Trice’s odds are only dinged because of health. Injured reserve isn’t truly considered here, but if he has a nagging injury that limits him in camp, Pittsburgh could theoretically pull the plug.
McCollum is the safest backup offensive lineman on the team and should be Zach Frazier’s backup. But if the team looks for an upgrade or if McCollum falters in the preseason, he’s not quite etched in stone.
Ekuale has the highest backup defensive line odds of anyone on the roster. He only signed a one-year deal, but it was a much heftier signing bonus ($1.63 million) compared to Isaiahh Loudermilk ($167,500) or Esezi Otomewo (nothing). Ekuale plays the run hard and can move up and down the line.
Anderson rounds out the list. He’s versatile, though Pittsburgh primarily used him at guard last year. Weaker depth may have him moving around more. Initially tabbed as Isaac Seumalo’s injury replacement, Anderson failed to stand out, and I don’t see anything remarkable about his game. But he still has the inside track and may only get bumped off the Steelers’ roster should they add external names during cutdowns.
