Steelers vs Panthers: 3 Pittsburgh backups who could still unseat starters

Most starting positions have been decided, but here are three Steelers who could unseat starters with an impressive game against the Panthers. 

The Steelers will play their final preseason game against the Panthers tonight in a battle that will feature mostly backups from Pittsburgh. At this point in the summer, Mike Tomlin and his crew have an excellent idea of who the starters will be in 2021, but not everything is set in stone.

As the tides continue to shift, there are three starting positions on the team that may not yet be settled, and the coaching staff could be open to change. Here are three players who could potential unseat current Pittsburgh starters with a dominant showing tonight against the Panthers:

Steelers TE Pat Freiermuth

I don’t know where the idea came from about cutting Eric Ebron, but that seems absurd to me. Ebron isn’t terrible… but he’s not great either. The veteran tight end and former first-round pick is an asset in the passing game, but struggles to consistently catch the ball, and isn’t much of a blocker at all.

Pat Freiermuth might be just a second-round rookie, but I’m not sure if there’s anything that Ebron does better at this point in time. In addition to catching everything thrown in his direction, Freiermuth is the more physical player of the two and is willing to throw his body into the mix as a blocker.

Freiermuth still has a long way to go, but what we’ve seen from him this summer has been really impressive. He not only gives the Steelers more long-term upside at the position but a more reliable option for Ben Roethlisberger on passing downs. The tight end position is not easy to master, but with another strong performance against the Panthers, Ebron could potentially play his way into a starting role.