Pittsburgh Steelers final 53-man roster prediction entering 2020 season

Quarterback: 3

Ben Roethlisberger, Mason Rudolph, Devlin Hodges

These three players shouldn’t come as a big surprise if you have been following training camp updates closely. Clearly, Ben earns his spot back on the roster this year, while Rudolph was declared the second-string quarterback early this offseason by Kevin Colbert.

Earlier this year, I thought it was a possibility that Paxton Lynch could sneak onto the roster as the team’s third quarterback, but that is unlikely after he didn’t log any reps in the training camp scrimmage this past week. I have Devlin Hodges making the team as QB3.

Running back: 5

James Conner, Benny Snell, Anthony McFarland, Derek Watt, Jaylen Samuels

Obviously, Derek Watt is going to make the team as the lone fullback for the Steelers this year. While Pittsburgh’s first three running backs in James Conner, Benny Snell, and Anthony McFarland were a lock from the beginning, RB4 was a little bit harder to predict.

Initially, I thought it was possible that the Steelers could go with a special teams player like Wendell Smallwood (who wore a lot of hats for the Eagles and Redskins). However, I have Pittsburgh sticking with Jaylen Samuels in my final roster prediction.

Wide receiver: 6

JuJu Smith-Schuster, Diontae Johnson, James Washington, Chase Claypool, Ryan Switzer, Deon Cain

The top four players on this list are a lock, and each one of them stands to see a lot of snaps on offense this year. While many would like to think that Ryan Switzer is getting replaced for Ray-Ray McCloud, I don’t see it happening.

I have Switzer making the team due to his chemistry with Ben from the slot and his ability to function as a return man. I also have Deon Cain earning the final receiver spot where he will be asked to play primarily a special teams role as a gunner.