The Steelers organized team activities have come and gone and now the club has set the tone for who could make the final roster.
The organized team activities are the first sniff of football for fans that have been missing it all offseason. The players come back to their teams and start getting a feel for what the playbook and coaches are like. It is a feeling out period as the depth chart starts to get shown a little bit before training camp comes.
It was a good OTA for the Steelers as many new faces litter the field between coaches and the players. It will be a while between the conclusion of these practices in shorts and the start of training camp in Latrobe. It will take about a couple of months before personnel must report to the Saint Vincent College campus.
Shaping the final roster will take place mostly during that handful of weeks in camp. A lot of team bonding and winners of internal competitions will occur during that time. It will be a tough decision for coaches to figure out who will make up the final 53, but this seems like a good list as things currently sit.
Three specialists make the final cut for the Steelers
Chris Boswell, Kicker
Chris Boswell is making this football team and that will come as a surprise to no one. He is still one of the top kickers in the NFL and seems to get better every year for the Steelers. He is another player that is quietly going into a contract season and could be trying to get a new deal in camp. It would make sense and he deserves a nice rate of pay as one of the best at what he does.
Pressley Harvin III, Punter
Pressley Harvin III did not have a good rookie season in the NFL. He is still an intriguing guy with the size that comes with him. The lack of additions for some competition in Latrobe should make this punter feel better about his job security moving forward.
Christian Kuntz, Long snapper
Christian Kuntz had a good year as the Steelers long snapper. He did not make too many mistakes and seems like he will have this job for the foreseeable future.
Steelers keep Mason Rudolph off the final roster
Quarterback (3): Mitch Trubisky, Kenny Pickett, Chris Oladokun/free agent
The first big shocker on this prediction has Mason Rudolph left off the final 53. This is more of a prediction based on a recent report that Rudolph will want to be taken off the team if he cannot win a starting job here. That does not seem like a real possibility of happening so he could be let go or traded when the story is officially written.
He will not only be auditioning for the Steelers job but for other places around the NFL as well. Mitch Trubisky is currently on his way to start, at least at the beginning of the year, for the club. Kenny Pickett is the future and should also be on his way to starting games sometime soon.
The last spot at quarterback is where things could potentially get interesting. Rudolph would be a solid third option as he does have starting experience and kept this club in games during most of his starts. With him potentially being gone, would the team keep Chris Oladokun?
Crazier scenarios have played out before, but it seems like the club might look for another veteran that could become available by another team after initial cuts are made. Josh Dobbs would make a lot of sense if he does not make the Cleveland Browns roster.
Steelers do not change anything at running back at the moment
Running back/full back (4): Najee Harris, Anthony McFarland Jr./free agent, Benny Snell Jr., Derek Watt
This is where things could get interesting for the makeup of this roster. The Steelers still have a couple of needs and a lot of cap space to still work with. They just signed a free agent earlier in the week and could do that again before camp begins.
The running back group has a star in Najee Harris, but there are no options behind him currently. Anthony McFarland Jr. has done nothing on offense to this point in his career. He really needs to win his spot in camp and hopefully could provide for an in-house option to take some carries away from Harris.
Benny Snell Jr. makes the team, but it seems like his job could be between him and McFarland to make the final cut. A free agent could be brought in as different veteran options are still on the free-agent market. That would bring a new wrinkle into this room that needs to find some options.
Derek Watt sticks around for this team as their starting full back as he enters his final contract year with Pittsburgh. He will still need to make sure Connor Heyward cannot take him off the roster, but luckily for him, the rookie is working at other spots. He makes the club based on his special team’s prowess.
Steelers keep their receivers and tight ends young
Wide receiver (6): Diontae Johnson, Chase Claypool, George Pickens, Miles Boykin, Calvin Austin III, Gunner Olszewski
This receiver’s group is one with different faces entering the fold. There is a different makeup that will lean on new leaders having to emerge for this room. They have youth and talent on their side, but they need to prove themselves every week that they hit that field.
The starters are obvious for the final cuts when it comes to the Steelers decisions. The depth at the position is where things could get a little interesting. They decide to stick with Miles Boykin as a young veteran in this league that provides a big target and some potentially untapped potential. The last two listed will play small roles on offense but will hopefully produce some on special teams.
Tight end (3): Pat Freiermuth, Zach Gentry, Connor Heyward
Pat Freiermuth is a young star that could become a top-five player at his position this year. He has all the tools that are needed to succeed at tight end, and he is also in a good situation. His targets should increase more as Kenny Pickett and Mitch Trubisky will use him as a safety blanket.
Zach Gentry has become the team’s best blocker at tight end and compliments Freiermuth well. Connor Heyward makes the club with different position flexibility that the coaches will like. He should be able to grow as a tight end and be able to become a solid contributor for the Steelers on special teams.
Offensive line (9): Dan Moore Jr., Kevin Dotson, Mason Cole, James Daniels, Chuks Okorafor, Kendrick Green, Joe Haeg, John Leglue, Chaz Green/free agent
The offensive line group is one that seems unfinished now. They have some depth for the interior, but the tackle position is very thin past their starters. That is where things could arise when it comes to an outside free agent, or a veteran being cut during final cut downs could be brought in at some point.
The starting five for this front seem like they are mostly locked in right now. Beyond them, adding in Kendrick Green and John Leglue as depth pieces in the middle makes sense. Both have starting experience and could play both guard and center if injuries occur.
Tackle is where things could get interesting, but it might take some time. The Steelers normally like to see what their guys can do before bringing someone in from outside the organization. They will want to see how these depth guys like Joe Haeg and Chaz Green look before they make the decision of signing someone.
This will be an interesting spot to follow as we get closer and through the training camp process. Keep a close eye on how these tackles are doing because the roster still needs at least another option at depth for their tackle spot. That would help cement this group with better depth all around.
Steelers keep more depth on this roster at defensive line
Defensive line (7): Cam Heyward, Tyson Alualu, Chris Wormley, Isaiah Loudermilk, Larry Ogunjobi, DeMarvin Leal, Montravius Adams
This front group of starters could shake up some as the season goes along. The group could always rotate to smother the fire that could be felt with Stephon Tuitt retiring. Tyson Alualu will get the bulk of the snaps next to Cam Heyward on the starting line.
Chris Wormley will also be getting a lot of looks, especially on passing downs and when Alualu needs to be at the nose tackle position. Those will be the three major starters to begin the season for the Steelers but that could change as the season progresses. Expect Larry Ogunjobi, Isaiah Loudermilk, and DeMarvin Leal to get more snaps later.
This is a pretty good group that Pittsburgh has assembled. There is depth and potential here with some solid starters entering the fold. If Ogunjobi is healthy, he will become the starter opposite of Cam Heyward at some point.
The question will become how many snaps go where and that will be up to the coaches of the black and gold. It was important to keep all seven here as there is still no clear-cut starter to fully replace what Tuitt brought to this club. It will be done through trial and error until someone settles in at the full-time starter spot.
Steelers still have question marks to answer at linebacker
Linebacker (8): T.J. Watt, Alex Highsmith, Devin Bush, Myles Jack, Buddy Johnson, Robert Spillane, Genard Avery, Derrek Tuszka/free agent
The linebackers are broken up into two categories for the Steelers and that will not change in 2022. There are the edge players, otherwise known as the outside linebackers. Then there are the middle linebackers that roam the middle of the field and help call the shots for the defense.
The outside linebackers will consist of their two main starters that are returning from last season. That includes all-star T.J. Watt and Alex Highsmith, which formed a nice duo last year. The depth behind them is scarce despite Derek Tuszka showing some promise late in 2021.
Genard Avery is a veteran guy, but there is not enough of a quality option behind the two starters. Looking at the free-agent pool might be a necessity soon. The depth at middle linebacker is a little better and will create for some good competition in camp. There are some long-standing players there that could be among the final cuts.
Buddy Johnson has been getting high marks so far in the pre-season process as he gets ready for a big year two. Robert Spillane makes the team based on his starting familiarity and special team abilities that he provides. The two starters could either become the best in the NFL or one of the worst if they cannot figure things out.
Steelers keep some quality depth around in the secondary
Cornerback (5): Ahkello Witherspoon, Levi Wallace, Cameron Sutton, Justin Layne, James Pierre
Cornerbacks seem to be mostly set right now, especially when it comes to the starters. Ahkello Witherspoon and Levi Wallace will be the two starting outside corners and they have experience there. Cameron Sutton will be the starter on the inside, where he has been very good over the past couple of seasons.
Justin Layne and James Pierre are both guys that have not developed to where the coaches thought they would be during this point in their careers. Layne has some draft pedigree and some starting experience, which will keep him on the team. Both he and Pierre have also proven themselves on special teams and that will almost lock them onto the 53.
Safety (5): Minkah Fitzpatrick, Terrell Edmunds, Damontae Kazee, Tre Norwood, Miles Killebrew
This is another group that seems straightforward. Perhaps the Steelers will decide to only go with four safeties and that would make sense. They normally only keep four at the position, but this year could be different.
A lot of these guys could play inside as a cornerback type and that position flexibility will help the club. The two starters are returning so that will strengthen the group, but the people behind them have not been at this kind of quality in a while. This also made Arthur Maulet more expendable and could be on the brink of not making the team.
The Steelers will have a lot of work to accomplish to make the best decisions when final cuts start to roll in. There seem to be some early favorites to make this roster when the regular season rolls around.