Will the Steelers promote Ja’Whaun Bentley to the 53-man roster?
Although the Steelers signed veteran ILB Ja’Whaun Bentley to the practice squad, there’s no rule requiring him to stay there. There are rules that encourage teams to sign veterans to the practice squad as a prelude to promoting them to the 53-man roster, though, as they learn the system and get into shape, as the case may be.
In Bentley’s case, he spent the year recovering from a torn pectoral muscle. Initial reports didn’t suggest they plan to sign him to the 53-man roster, but there are reasons to believe otherwise. For starters, he told reporters on Wednesday that he had other options, but chose Pittsburgh. We don’t know the quality of those other options, but a former starter signing with the practice squad is questionable.
The Steelers have starters with Patrick Queen and Payton Wilson, and they even like Cole Holcomb. None of them are playing at a particularly high level right now, though. All of them are playing tentative, and they lack the physicality to attack the run. Ja’Whaun Bentley, in theory, could do that, though he’s probably not in football shape right now.
Bentley started 68 out of 83 games for the Patriots, logging well over 3,000 snaps. He was a regular starter, subbing out in many passing situations, up until his injury in Week 2. Although his injury precluded him from signing with teams early in the offseason, he is healthy now.
But is he ready to play snaps right now? The Steelers are playing the Patriots, Bentley’s former team, this week. His knowledge of them may be limited, though, as they hired Mike Vrabel as their new head coach this offseason. Bentley only spent a couple weeks in the organization after Vrabel’s hiring, and we don’t even know if they spoke.
The Steelers already have five inside linebackers, though one, Malik Harrison, is currently on IR. Reportedly, OL Max Scharping just suffered a potentially serious injury. They already had 10 OL on the 53-man roster, so they could sign a player at another position. In a corresponding move, they could promote Ja’Whaun Bentley with no complications this week if Scharping goes on IR.
After another disappointing season and months of retooling, the Steelers are set to try it all again in 2025. Though they limped into the playoffs, they once again embarrassed themselves therein.
Just like last year, the biggest question hanging over the Steelers is the quarterback question. They settled in on Aaron Rodgers, but we still have a lot to learn about him. The 2025 NFL Draft class could play a big role, but veteran additions like Jalen Ramsey will be paramount.
Now we are in the regular season. From Rodgers to George Pickens to Minkah Fitzpatrick and Ramsey, we’ve seen the Steelers make some big changes. Now it’s about evaluating the roster in place and figuring out how it all works out.
