Predicting the roster odds of the Steelers eight undrafted free agents

Steelers Jamar Watson

Roster Odds: 30%

If you put every free agent in a vacuum in terms of talent and potential, Jamar Watson would be more towards the end of the list. He is a fine technical player, but his overall production in college was only ok and his athletic testing was pretty bad. The best case for him long-term is to become a decent fourth option that can play a little defense but excels on special teams. In a normal year, he would be an at best practice squad player in order to let him develop a little.

2021 is no normal year at edge rusher though, as the Steelers are extremely thin at edge rusher. As of now, sixth-round rookie Quincy Roche and Cassius Marsh are the only realistic depth options. While Roche is an intriguing rookie based on his college production, he was still only a sixth-round pick and the expectations can’t be through the roof for him yet. As for Marsh, he is an ok special teams player, but he is far from a lock to make this roster.

It would take quite an impressive camp from Watson, but if he shows enough in practice and during the preseason, he could end up making the team as the fourth edge rusher. As well, if the team wants to keep Marsh for whatever reason, a strong camp could compel the team to keep five edge rushers. Again, I don’t think Watson has the upside that some of these undrafted players have, but due to the lack of options at edge rusher this season, his odds of making the active roster aren’t bad.