The Pittsburgh Steelers draw closer to making their final cuts down to a 53-man roster. The August 26 deadline for those cuts will be here before we know it, and the Steelers’ front office will have some difficult decisions to make leading up to it.
For this 53-man roster prediction, I leaned on veteran leadership to stick with the roster to support the young pieces in the lineup. After all, the Steelers made a point to add players with plenty of league experience this offseason, both to make an instant impact and to bring along a new generation of Steelers who haven’t enjoyed much postseason success.
Pittsburgh Steelers hold on to veteran experience in latest preseason 53-man roster prediction
Quarterback (4) - Aaron Rodgers, Mason Rudolph, Will Howard, Skylar Thompson
For now, Skylar Thompson sticks on the 53-man roster. While he’s been impressive in the preseason, Will Howard did appear to win the QB3 job before his unfortunate injury.
Howard won’t be available, but the Steelers can’t afford to put him on Injured Reserve before the cut down to 53 players, which would cause him to miss out on practices for the rest of his rookie season. Once Howard is back, which could be feasible before the roster cut date of August 26, Thompson can be dropped or traded to make space for another position.
Running Back (3) - Jaylen Warren, Kaleb Johnson, Kenneth Gainwell
The Steelers will make use of all three backs during the regular season, so they’ll surely have Trey Sermon on speed dial and Lew Nichols on the practice squad in case of emergency. But when it comes to the initial group to start the campaign, Pittsburgh doesn’t have much reason to entertain a fourth back.
Wide Receiver (5) - DK Metcalf, Calvin Austin III, Roman Wilson, Robert Woods, Ben Skowronek
Keeping Robert Woods isn’t the right play in your Madden franchise, but the Steelers clearly value the veteran presence in the locker room. While Metcalf also provides that same factor, Woods won’t be as preoccupied with making game-changing plays. His presence will serve Calvin Austin and Roman Wilson well as they trade reps at WR2. Ben Skowronek provides a blocking and special teams element that other contenders for the fifth spot lack.
Tight End (4) - Pat Freiermuth, Jonnu Smith, Darnell Washington, Connor Heyward
Arthur Smith is going to use his tight ends, and the versatile cast he employs makes for some intriguing combinations. Still, that same versatility does create a slight depth issue, ironically enough. Nonetheless, Heyward fills the gap at fullback, Washington is an extra in-line blocker and redzone threat, Smith will eat his weight in targets, and Freiermuth will continue to do Freiermuth things at a higher level with competent quarterback play.
Offensive Line (9) - Broderick Jones, Isaac Seumalo, Zach Frazier, Mason McCormick, Troy Fautanu, Andrus Peat, Spencer Anderson, Ryan McCollum, Calvin Anderson
The depth on the offensive line is too concerning to give an extra spot to the defense. Just as Woods offers veteran support at wide receiver, so too does Andrus Peat. I think he sticks to play as the sixth (seventh, depending on your stance of Darnell Washington) offensive lineman, coming in for every position except center. McCollum retains his position as the backup center, and the Andersons rotate in at the guards and in dire emergencies at tackle.
Defensive Line (6) - Cam Hewyard, Keeanu Benton, Derrick Harmon, Yahya Black, Daniel Ekuale, Isaiahh Loudermilk
The first five on the defensive line are easy picks to make the roster. It’s that sixth option that has some considerations. Isaiahh Loudermilk has been far from impressive, but he’s been with the organization the longest out of the six guys vying for the spot. I think he hangs on to the spot for one more year.
Edge (4) - T.J. Watt, Alex Highsmith, Nick Herbig, Jack Sawyer
While Sawyer still has a ways to go in his development, he’s a more natural fit at the position than DeMarvin Leal, nor has he played badly enough to warrant being cut as a fourth-round pick. Sawyer will also provide help on special teams that Leal wouldn’t be built for. Hopefully, his defensive snaps are limited while he develops.
Linebacker (5) - Patrick Queen, Payton Wilson, Cole Holcomb, Malik Harrison, Carson Bruener
Cole Holcomb has more than proved he belongs on this roster, and he should find some rotation with Patrick Queen and Payton Wilson on defense. Malik Harrison offers sustainable depth and some special teams value, having played over 1,500 snaps there in five seasons in Baltimore.
I think Carson Breuner has a real shot of getting past Mark Robinson with his play on special teams and comfort at his defensive position. The desperation with Robinson getting fullback snaps in training camp still sits in the back of my mind as a prime indicator that he hasn’t made the strides as a defensive project to warrant continuing the experiment.
Cornerback (6) - Jalen Ramsey, Joey Porter Jr., Darius Slay, Brandin Echols, Beanie Bishop Jr., James Pierre
In a just world, Cory Trice Jr. stays healthy and knocks James Pierre off this roster. But that’s not the reality Pittsburgh is facing. Pierre survives the roster cuts with his special teams experience, while Beanie Bishop provides depth in the slot, and Brandin Echols provides depth on the outside.
Safety (4) - DeShon Elliott, Juan Thornhill, Chuck Clark, Miles Killebrew
With Chuck Clark hanging around and Skylar Thompson eating up a roster spot on the other side of the ball, there simply isn’t the space to keep Sebastian Castro on the roster in the initial cutdown without a drastic move elsewhere. Castro would have to really explode as the preseason winds down to justify cutting Clark.
Special Teams (3) - Chris Boswell, Cameron Johnston, Christian Kuntz
Nothing crazy is happening on special teams. Cameron Johnston is the frontrunner to reclaim his job as the starting punter, and while the battle is tighter than initially expected, there’s no route for Corliss Waitman to win that one out. When it comes to the kickers, it will be more interesting to see where Waitman and Ben Sauls land once the dust settles around the league.