Several Steelers Depot readers discuss the Black and Gold every Monday Night on the Clubhouse app. This past Monday, we made early predictions on what the Steelers initial 53-man roster will be, based on the current roster.
There’s already changes due to Pittsburgh’s most recent transactions over the past few weeks. And there will be more once training camp starts. We’ll follow-up with a revised roster midway through camp. This was our final prediction last year.
Here is the offense we produced this past Monday:
Offense (25)
Quarterbacks (3)
Aaron Rodgers
Mason Rudolph
Will Howard
Practice Squad – Skylar Thompson
No surprises here. Three quarterbacks with a fourth stashed on the practice squad. The Steelers normally carry three. In 2019, they made an exception and traded Josh Dobbs to Jacksonville. Just Ben Roethlisberger and Mason Rudolph on the roster. Ben was lost for the season. Mason was concussed against Baltimore, and that led to the “Duck Season” with Devin Hodges brought out of NFL obscurity.
Running Backs (4)
Jaylen Warren
Kaleb Johnson
Kenneth Gainwell
Trey Sermon
Practice Squad – Cordarrelle Patterson
The first three backs are easy to select. But we debated between keeping Patterson or Sermon on the roster. Patterson does return kicks but proved ineffectual last year. Kickers started the season avoiding him. By season’s end, they were kicking to him instead of Jaylen Warren.
Tight Ends and Fullbacks (4)
Pat Freiermuth
Darnell Washington
Jonnu Smith
JJ Galbreath
Practice Squad – Connor Heyward and fullback DJ Thomas-Jones
We combine tight ends and fullbacks. Fullback seems to be closer to tight ends due to H-backs and players in dual roles. New acquisition Jonnu Smith is an obvious choice for the roster. We went back and forth between Galbreath and Heyward. In 2024, Connor played half the offensive snaps from 2023. But his 303 special teams snaps tied with Myles Killebrew for most on the team in 2024. But in the end, Galbreath’s bigger frame and youth won out. We compared Heyward’s situation to Roosevelt Nix. His offensive opportunities declining and younger players ready to step into special teams roles.
Wide Receivers (5)
Calvin Austin III
DK Metcalf
Roman Wilson
Ben Skowronek
Robert Woods
Practice Squad – Scotty Miller, Brandon Johnson and Roc Taylor
We first talked about how many receivers to keep – five or six? But since Arthur Smith likes tight end heavy schemes, we went with five. Metcalf, Austin and Wilson were easy choices for the roster. Skowronek was next for his ability as a gunner on special teams. We debated about youth versus experience. And having a reliable backup for Metcalf. Roc Taylor and Brandon Johnson were considered. But Scotty Miller worked out with Aaron Rodgers. And they picked up Robert Woods. We decided Johnson and Taylor were best suited for Practice Squad. Then picked Woods over Miller more for the size difference.
Offensive Line (9)
Zach Frazier
Isaac Seumalo
Mason McCormick
Broderick Jones
Troy Fautanu
Ryan McCollum
Max Scharping
Spencer Anderson
Dylan Cook
Practice Squad – Gareth Warren and Doug Nester
We wanted to keep 10 offensive linemen since this group was hit by injuries last year. But other positional needs kept us at nine. The first five represent the starting line-up. Ryan McCollum a back-up center and Max Scharping an interior line back-up. We had a long chat about the swing tackle. A lot of folks liked Gareth Warren for his size (333 pounds). But swing is too important to entrust to a rookie. So, we shifted to Calvin Anderson or Dylan Cook. Cook is a couple years younger and a little heavier with some NFL experience giving him the nod. Spencer Anderson a logical choice due to his versatility all along the line.
Defense (25)
Here is the defense we produced:
Defensive Line (7)
Cam Heyward
Derrick Harmon
Keeanu Benton
Isaiahh Loudermilk
Logan Lee
Daniel Ekuale
Yahya Black
Practice Squad – DeMarvin Leal and Dean Lowry
We wanted to keep eight defensive linemen like last year. But losing Minkah Fitzpatrick means defensive coordinator Teryl Austin and Mike Tomlin need to be creative with the secondary. Heyward, Harmon and Benton, obviously. We included Logan Lee, but he needs to set a strong pace after missing last season. Yahya Black’s size and reputation as a run stuffer get him on the roster due to last season’s weakness.
Initially, we dropped both Loudermilk and Leal. Favoring Dean Lowry over who have underdelivered. Last year, we said “Leal had one more year to prove his worth.” He played his least number of snaps in 2024 in his short career. Plus, Loudermilk used more on special teams. Then we took Daniel Ekuale, who played for the Patriots last season. He’s about the same age as Lowry and we thought the team wanted some fresh beef on the line.
Linebackers (8)
Outside Linebackers/Edge
T.J. Watt
Alex Highsmith
Nick Herbig
Jack Sawyer
Inside Linebackers
Patrick Queen
Payton Wilson
Malik Harrison
Cole Holcomb
Practice Squad – Carson Bruener, Mark Robinson, Jeremiah Moon, and Julius Welschof
Outside linebacker pretty easy. Just rookie draft pick Jack Sawyer supplanting Jeremiah Moon. More changeover with the inside linebackers. Queen and Wilson the likely starters with Mali Harrison and Cole Holcomb backing them up. We’ll see if Holcomb is fully recovered and a full participant at the start of camp. He attended the OTA’s which is encouraging. We left Mark Robinson off last year. Just eight defensive snaps last year, but a beastly 301 special teams snaps. The Steelers could activate him from the practice squad as needed, but just not enough room on the roster. Welschof a freebie to hold on the practice squad.
Secondary (10)
Cornerbacks (6)
Joey Porter Jr.
Darius Slay
Jalen Ramsey
Cory Trice Jr.
Beanie Bishop
Brandin Echols
Safeties (4)
DeShon Elliott
Juan Thornhill
Miles Killebrew
Sebastian Castro
Practice Squad – James Pierre, Donte Kent
We believe Omar Khan may not be done tinkering with this room. Two starters are gone from last season: Minkah Fitzpatrick and Donte Jackson. The trade for Jalen Ramsey looms large with his ability to play safety, outside corner and the slot. Hoping reports of Daris Slay’s knee problems are exaggerated. But we’re bullish on Trice if he avoids the injury bug. Not sure Thornhill is an adequate replacement for Minkah. This is where the defense must be creative. Maybe one-safety defenses with additional corners. James Pierre is another veteran on his way out.
Specialists (3)
K Chris Boswell
P Corliss Waiman
LS Christian Kuntz
Boswell and Kuntz are locks for the roster. But it is good that Tucker Addington, who is four years younger than Kuntz, was brought in for competition. The most intriguing battle is at punter. Cameron Johnston started the year but got hurt in the first game. Corliss Waitman replaced him and had a solid season as a punter and place kick holder. We gave the edge to the current incumbent. Returners seem to have difficulty cleanly fielding his punts.
Conclusion
Our initial 53-man roster has 25 offensive and 25 defensive players along with the three specialists. On the practice squad, we went with nine on offense and eight on defense.
Rebuilding is not in the Pittsburgh Steelers vocabulary. But we have 18 players who were not on Pittsburgh’s roster in 2024. Over one third of the team is new and starting in key positions: quarterback, wide receiver, running back, defensive line and the secondary. The current 91 man roster is youthful. Only one of the 15 offensive linemen is over 30. Same for the quarterback, running back, wide receiver and linebacker rooms. All the tight ends are under 30. It seems like an intentional move to get younger and perhaps more aggressive.
Omar Khan has been a busy man. There are likely going to be more transactions between now and the end of training camp. We’ll form predictions mid-camp and a final prediction before the first preseason game. Did we miss any players on the current 91-man roster we should have included on the 53? Let us know.
Your Song Selection
I always like to include a bit of music. “Sweet Disposition” by Temper Trap exemplifies the young players having relentless energy and being willing to leave it all on the field of play.
