With the start of the 2026 NFL season just days away, the Pittsburgh Steelers have their initial 53-man roster in place for their Week 1 opener against the Atlanta Falcons. But just because they cut down to 53 players doesn't mean this will be the same 53 we will see in black and gold throughout the year.
While the vast majority of the players on the roster will be safe from losing their jobs this year, NFL teams often shuffle out players at the bottom of their roster. This can happen for various reasons.
If these players are underperforming, or if injuries strike and the Steelers need added depth elsewhere on the team, these players run the risk of getting cut or released, and some will look to circle back to the practice squad. They made the team, for now, but these four Steelers have the biggest risk of losing their spot on the 53-man roster this season.
These four Pittsburgh Steelers could lose their spot on the 53-man roster if they don't meet the standard
Kevin Jobity Jr., DL
Of the 53 players to make the team, Kevin Kobity Jr. might be considered the 53rd man by the organization. The Steelers elected to keep seven interior defenders, and we can assume that Jobity was one of the final players to make the cut.
As the only rookie undrafted free agent to make the team, Jobity already defied the odds. However, he's got a massive uphill battle to be relevant and make the most of his opportunities. Among such a talented positional group, Jobity can't afford to lag behind. If he does, he could be the first player booted from the roster and forced to take a practice squad role.
Ryan McCollum, C
Ryan McCollum can be thankful that the team elected to trade Broderick Jones to the Dallas Cowboys just before the roster deadline. If not for this decision, McCollum was likely sitting as the 10th offensive lineman on the team... and keeping 10 always felt too rich.
Even now, McCollum has a niche role as a reserve center. He doesn't even offer guard versatility, and the fact that he's limited to one position could hurt his chances of sticking around. When you compare him to offensive lineman Brock Hoffman, who can play both center and guard (and maybe at a higher level at both), McCollum looks expendable.
If the Steelers start getting injuries at other positions and their starting five offensive linemen are still healthy, they could look to ditch McCollum.
Eli Heidenreich, RB/WR
Steelers fans were pulling for the local product to make the team, but Eli Heidenreich's job is hardly secure for the entire 2026 season. The seventh-round rookie will have a trial by fire as he will be asked to play an important special teams role early.
If he struggles in this department, that could be enough for the Steelers to send him packing to the practice squad and promote the more experienced Travis Homer. Meanwhile, if Heidenreich isn't effective on the limited offensive touches he's expected to see, that could be another reason the Steelers could look to make a switch at running back at the bottom of their roster.
Gabriel Rubio, DL
While Jobity Jr.'s job along the defensive line may be more at risk—considering he's a UDFA with no draft capital tied to him—Gabriel Rubio shouldn't be considered safe either. Though the Steelers selected Rubio in the sixth round of the 2026 NFL Draft, it's not a big enough investment that the team can't pull the plug on him at any given moment.
Rubio flashed signs of being a quality run defender during the preseason, and we know that he's a high-motor defensive lineman. But if Jobity outperforms him early in the season, or if Rubio doesn't offer much when he sees the field, he could be one of the players at the bottom of the roster getting swapped at some point during the season.
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