4 Steelers veterans whose roster spots are at risk this year

Isaiah Buggs

Isaiah Buggs is a player that has the love of a lot of Steelers nation but seems to be in the teams’ dog house based on how his 2020 went. He saw snaps as both a backup defensive end and a nose tackle, and while his pass rush wasn’t bad, his run-stopping issues were apparent. This led to him seeing less time in favor of then-rookie Carlos Davis and eventual practice squad call up Henry Mondeaux. His standing with the team only got worse when they selected Isaiahh Loudermilk in the fifth round of the draft.

While I personally am not high on Loudermilk’s game, the team felt comfortable enough to send a future fourth-round pick to acquire him. Fifth-round picks themselves are never locked to make the roster but having traded an asset to acquire him makes it seem like he is a safe roster bet. Davis, meanwhile, is the better option at nose tackle making him the likely next safest lineman. While Buggs is the better defender than Mondeaux, he lacks the special team’s value that Mondeaux has.

All of this to say, Buggs seems to be the eight-best option at a spot the team typically carries only six players at. Even if the Steelers carry seven as they did for much of last year, Loudermilk replaces Buggs in that scenario. Despite the early promise he showed in camps and in limited action, it seems like Buggs best chance to stay with the team is to wind up on the practice squad.