The Pittsburgh Steelers will trim their 90-man roster down to 53 on Tuesday with their final preseason game out of the way. There weren’t that many true competitions for starting roles, but plenty of interesting position battles played themselves out throughout training camp and the preseason over the last month.
Along with the cutdown to 53, the Steelers can place two players on IR/Designated to Return right away to avoid having to perform roster gymnastics to stash important players. All of that was taken into account when formulating this roster.
Check out my original prediction before the start of camp to see what has changed.
OFFENSE – 24
Quarterbacks (3) – Aaron Rodgers, Mason Rudolph, Skylar Thompson
Analysis: Will Howard seems like a candidate to be placed on IR/Designated to Return at cutdowns so the Steelers can hang onto Thompson, who performed very well in the preseason, while keeping control of the rookie. Even if Howard is close to returning, he has zero NFL experience. Stashing him on IR seems like the best route to maximize the current 53.
Running Backs (3) – Jaylen Warren, Kaleb Johnson, Kenneth Gainwell
Analysis:Â Lew Nichols and Trey Sermon both impressed in the preseason and should be priorities for the practice squad.
Tight Ends (4) – Pat Freiermuth, Jonnu Smith, Darnell Washington, Connor Heyward
Analysis:Â Arthur Smith teams almost always keep four tight ends. JJ Galbreath flashed at the beginning of camp, but Connor Heyward is more versatile, a better special teamer, and drew praise from Aaron Rodgers as a “smart player.”
Wide Receivers (5) – DK Metcalf, Calvin Austin III, Roman Wilson, Ben Skowronek, Scotty Miller
Analysis:Â Skowronek and Austin are battling through injuries, but they should be on the initial 53 unless their injuries are worse than expected or they suffer setbacks. Skowronek is too valuable as a special teamer and seems to have plenty of support from both coaches and peers to get released. I don’t sense that Austin or Skowronek will start the season on IR, but they may not be ready for Week 1.
Robert Woods played deep into preseason games and hasn’t looked good throughout the summer. Scotty Miller on the other hand has impressed. Ke’Shawn Williams seems like a prime option to stash on the practice squad and elevate on game day as an extra WR and punt returner while Austin works his way back from injury.
Offensive Tackles (3) – Broderick Jones, Troy Fautanu, Andrus Peat
Analysis:Â It wasn’t an accident that Peat immediately jumped Dylan Cook on the depth chart after he signed. The Steelers want to have an experienced backup. Calvin Anderson could be an IR/Designated to Return candidate, but they could also opt to stash Cook on the practice squad to elevate as needed.
Offensive Guards (4) – Isaac Seumalo, Mason McCormick, Spencer Anderson, Doug Nester
Analysis:Â Spencer Anderson was the starting guard for most of camp and the preseason as Isaac Seumalo worked his way back from injury. The final guard spot is the most interesting here with a few worthy candidates. I still like Nester for his size and versatility, but Max Scharping and Steven Jones are other options. Don’t rule out the Steelers adding one more OL either, with reported interest in Dalton Risner last week.
Centers (2) – Zach Frazier, Ryan McCollum
Analysis:Â McCollum’s play last year while Frazier was out is enough to make the cut, but he had some shaky play in the preseason.
DEFENSE – 26
Defensive Ends (5) – Cam Heyward, Derrick Harmon, Yahya Black, Esezi Otomewo, Isaiahh Loudermilk
Analysis: No player did more for his roster chances than Yahya Black during training camp and the preseason. He put an exclamation point on that with a two-sack performance in the preseason finale. Loudermilk beats some of his competition by way of experience in the system. The final spot comes down to Logan Lee and Otomewo. Emergency long snapping aside, I’m not sure Lee did enough to justify his roster spot with his play on defense.
Nose Tackles (2) – Keeanu Benton, Daniel Ekuale
Analysis:Â Ekuale’s experience and versatility make him the ideal backup here. He may even split some starting snaps with Black at DE if Derrick Harmon’s knee injury holds him out a game or two.
EDGE Rushers (4) –T.J. Watt, Alex Highsmith, Nick Herbig, Jack Sawyer
Analysis:Â DeMarvin Leal stood out in the final preseason game, but not in a good way. He had a couple bad penalties and a missed sack or two. He is wildly athletic for his size but hasn’t put it together as a football player. A fresh start elsewhere is necessary. Nick Herbig’s hamstring injury, if it turns out to be worse than expected, is the only path for Leal.
Inside Linebackers (5) – Patrick Queen, Payton Wilson, Malik Harrison, Cole Holcomb, Carson Bruener
Analysis:Â As much as I like Mark Robinson on special teams, Carson Bruener has more upside and is younger. He did enough in the preseason to win the special teams role that has Robinson filled in recent seasons. The other four have been locks since camp began in my eyes.
Cornerbacks (6) – Joey Porter Jr., Jalen Ramsey, Darius Slay, Brandin Echols, James Pierre, Cory Trice Jr.
Analysis:Â I previously wrote about Beanie Bishop Jr.’s path to the 53 before camp, and I don’t think he did enough to hang onto a spot. If Cory Trice Jr. gets placed on IR/Designated to Return, then Bishop will have a spot until Trice is healthy. But Ramsey and Echols have enough versatility to cover the slot, and Pierre offers more on special teams.
Donte Kent unfortunately couldn’t stay healthy to practice or play in the preseason. They could take the Logan Lee route and stash him on IR, but they’d have to carry him on the initial 53-man roster to do that. If Trice goes IR/Designated to Return, maybe they carry Kent at first to stash him and then try to re-sign Bishop.
It doesn’t help that Bishop played zero snaps in the final preseason game.
Safeties (4) – DeShon Elliott, Juan Thornhill, Chuck Clark, Miles Killebrew
Analysis: Clark and Thornhill can help fill the other starting safety spot when Ramsey isn’t flexing back there. Killebrew should retain his role as a special teams captain.
SPECIAL TEAMS – 3
Kicker (1) –  Chris Boswell
Analysis:Â Ben Sauls made himself some money with two long field goals in the preseason finale, but not in Pittsburgh.
Punter (1) – Cameron Johnston
Analysis:Â If this punter battle was neck and neck all preseason, Waitman’s 35-yard punt in the preseason finale may have sealed it. He looked like he knew it in the moment, too.
Long Snapper (1) – Christian Kuntz
Analysis:Â A fractured sternum isn’t ideal, but he seems to think he could play in Week 1.
