5 Steelers that had no business making the final 2021 roster

With the Steelers roster set, for now, these five players really didn’t need to make the final 53-man crew.

With the Steelers roster seemingly set, for now, the faces on the 53-man roster now must begin focusing on getting ready for a full season of play. That said, some of the players that ended up making the final cut were surprises, to say the least.

No matter if it was for their own mediocre play, the solid play of others, or better options being available on the market, some of the roster spots on the team would have been better off going to someone else. Here are the five Steelers that really didn’t have to make the final roster.

Steelers Ulysees Gilbert

While there was a lot of hope that Ulysees Gilbert would recapture some of the magic he had during his rookie camp, he was ultimately a camp disappointment. He had trouble making reads, securing tackles, and making plays in coverage. While he has been a good special teams player when he is healthy, Marcus Allen seems to have taken on a more permanent role with that unit. Gilbert’s mediocre camp put him on the outside looking in.

That was all before the team traded for Joe Schobert. After that, his only chance of making the roster was either by an injury or if the team surprisingly kept six off-ball linebackers. Low and behold, the team did just that. This came at the expense of the secondary and edge rushers though, and as a result, the overall defense is weaker with him on the roster. There was little need to keep six off-ball linebackers, especially for a player as disappointing as Gilbert.