Player: WR Roc Taylor
Stock Value: Sold
Reasoning: Despite a solid preseason showing, the Steelers waived WR Roc Taylor yesterday, though that might not be the end. With Pittsburgh potentially bringing in veteran Gabe Davis, he may not return soon. They have added players released early to the practice squad before, though, so don’t dismay over his future just yet.
Roc Taylor was part of a Steelers rookie undrafted free agent class that had fans more excited than usual. At the moment, it doesn’t look like any of them will make the 53-man roster, but several should land on the practice squad.
Of the seven original signings, TE JJ Galbreath and S Sebastian Castro seem the most likely. Roc Taylor, though, could be competing with WR Ke’Shawn Williams, and Williams also returns kicks. He has done well in that area during the preseason, even if he hasn’t had much room to work with.
But Taylor represented himself well, putting together two solid preseason games. In Week 1, he caught two passes for 38 yards. This past Saturday, he caught three for 39 yards. It’s too bad he won’t have a chance to finish out the preseason.
Yesterday, the Steelers announced they waived Taylor, along with two others. The moves were made partly due to injury, partly due to holding other players out for the final game. For whatever reason, Taylor was the low man on the totem pole at wide receiver.
Although the Steelers might not have a top-flight wide receiver room, it is pretty deep. Even a guy like Max Hurleman is an interesting name way down the list, a practice squad option. And then there’s Brandon Johnson, who has already spent time on the squad. Between that and the 53, they’ll likely keep eight in total. Taylor may be on the outside looking in to start, but he’ll have his agent on speed dial.
With training camp wrapped up and the Steelers crystalizing their new roster, it’s once again time to “take stock”. It took a while, but we finally saw some of that change the team talked about after the season ended. Certainly, the move to trade for WR DK Metcalf qualifies as a change, not to mention the accompanying contract. Oh, and they also traded some guy named George Pickens, which people found significant.
As we speak, we are in the process of learning what this Steelers team is going to look like. The dust is settled on both free agency and the 2025 NFL Draft, and now we’re in the home stretch. What final moves might the team make, perhaps unexpected acquisitions or departures? They’ve certainly made a flurry of moves, though some question whether they make much difference. This is a Steelers team starving for postseason success, but how desperate are they for a playoff win in 2025?
