Steelers roster: Surprise cuts to look out for before the deadline

The Pittsburgh Steelers will be cutting their roster down to just 53 players by tomorrow afternoon. Here could be their biggest surprise cuts. 

The Pittsburgh Steelers 2022 preseason is in the books, and we think we have a pretty good idea of which players will make the final roster this year. The third wave of the NFL cuts must be finalized by 4:00 p.m. Eastern Time on Tuesday, August 30th, with means that we will see over two dozen players cut before then.

Mike Tomlin and Omar Khan have some very difficult decisions on their hands. While some players are clearly going to miss the roster this year, other decisions the Steelers make could prove to catch us off guard. Here are some of the biggest surprise cuts Pittsburgh could potentially make very soon:

Steelers could cut DL Montravius Adams

Montravius Adams was the starting nose tackle for the Steelers late in the 2021 season with Tyson Alualu out, and he did a pretty good job filling in. Early in the process, I thought Adams was close to being a roster lock, but the best ability is availability and he can’t seem to get back on the field. If the team doesn’t try to stash him on IR or PUP, Adams could be cut outright.

Steelers could cut RB Benny Snell

The Steelers aren’t quick to give up on mid-round draft picks, and Mike Tomlin loves himself some ‘Benny Snell Football.’ However, with some pretty strong play by Anthony McFarland and undrafted rookie Jaylen Warren, that might not be enough for the fourth-year running back to stick around. Somebody is going to be the odd man out at RB and it could be Snell.

Steelers could cut EDGE Derrek Tuszka

Derrek Tuszka is the only returning backup edge defender on the team from a season ago. After the Steelers cut Genard Avery last week, his job looked pretty safe. However, he’s been pretty unspectacular during the preseason and hasn’t shown up as a pass rusher. I expect Pittsburgh to scour the waiver wire in search of better options, and I think it’s possible that newcomer Hamilcar Rashed sticks over Tuszka.

Steelers could cut TE Connor Heyward

This one would be a bit shocking. Not only was Connor Heyward a sixth-round draft choice this past April, but he’s also the little brother of Cameron Heyward. The family ties might be enough to keep him around, but Connor has been up and down this summer and didn’t do anything particularly impressive in the preseason. It wouldn’t be a total surprise if they cut him and stashed him on the practice squad for the time being.

Steelers could cut DL Isaiahh Loudermilk

While I don’t think this is going to happen, I can see a scenario in which Isaiahh Loudermilk is the biggest surprise cut on the Steelers in 2022. Loudermilk didn’t have a horrible preseason, but he played very sparingly as he dealt with a rib injury. Pittsburgh spent a fourth-round pick to trade back into the 2021 draft to select him, so there’s a notable investment here, but he’s not completely in the clear just yet.

Mathematically, it’s possible for the Pittsburgh Steelers to keep all of these players mentioned, but don’t be surprised if a few of them are released as Mike Tomlin is forced to cut his roster down to just 53 players for the 2022 season.