The 2026 preseason is now officially over for the Pittsburgh Steelers, and the most painful time of year for every NFL team is now just days away. Every team must cut its roster down from 90 players to 53 by 6 p.m. Eastern Standard Time on Sunday, August 30. Over 1,000 players will have their dream of making an NFL roster potentially ended, at least for now.
Many of those names will be players who never had much of chance at breaking through, while others will have severely disappointed compared to expectations. For the Steelers, it will be their first look at how head coach Mike McCarthy wants his roster to look, and which players from the previous regime are no longer viewed as potential contributors.
Before then, though, I want to take my crack at predicting how this roster will look as of Sunday night. The vast majority of spots are already set in stone, but I am starting to believe that a few (somewhat) surprising names could be headed out the door.
Pittsburgh Steelers move on from two recent top-100 picks in final 53-man roster projection
Specialists (3): Chris Boswell (K), Cameron Johnston (P), Christian Kuntz (LS)
Lets start with the easiest group to break down. These three were always going to be the specialists, especially since the only other player the Steelers brought into camp was kicker Laith Marjan, who was never going to compete with Chris Boswell. I would have liked to have seen another punter brought in to compete with Johnston, but he has been good enough in the preseason to quell some of my concerns.
Defensive line (6): Cameron Heyward, Derrick Harmon, Keeanu Benton, Sebastian Joseph-Day, Yahya Black, Gabriel Rubio
With the strong play of 2026 sixth-round pick Gabriel Rubio this summer, this group feels pretty easy to sort out. The top five names have been locked in for all of camp, especially with Yahya Black working as the first-team nose tackle and Keeanu Benton getting paid to be a chess piece for this front. It's possible that McCarthy could surprise me by keeping his old friend Dean Lowry as the sixth player in this group, but Rubio earned his spot.
Edge rusher (4): T.J. Watt, Nick Herbig, Alex Highsmith, Jack Sawyer
Aside from the specialists, this is the easiest group to predict. Despite a solid camp and preseason from hybrid edge/linebacker Jamin Davis, I can't imagine Pittsburgh will keep more than the same four they had last season. Sawyer has looked very capable this preseason against backup tackles, so he can hopefully be asked to play more snaps this year to help keep everyone fresh.
Linebacker (5): Patrick Queen, Payton Wilson, Elandon Roberts, Cole Holcomb, Carson Bruener
For quite a while during training camp, it seemed like the Steelers may only keep four players at off-ball linebacker. Malik Harrison was falling out of favor, and Carson Breuner was showing enough to be the fourth option on top of his stellar special teams impact. Then they called their old pal Elandon Roberts and brought him in to work with new defensive coordinator Patrick Graham, who he just played under last season in Las Vegas.
It's not impossible that someone like Holcomb, or even Roberts himself, could be on the outside looking in after Sundaym but I doubt it.
Cornerbacks (6): Joey Porter Jr., Jalen Ramsey, Jamel Dean, Asante Samuel Jr., Daylen Everette, Brandin Echols
The drama surrounding Joey Porter Jr.'s quest for a new contract aside, this group looks settled as of now. It's the deepest the Steelers' corner group has been in a very long time, and if Porter chooses to show up with or without a new deal, it could be one of the defining strengths of this entire team.
Now that Jalen Ramsey is healthy and ready to take on the slot duties for this defense, players like Doneiko Slaughter and D'Shawn Jamison are likely only practice squad candidates despite strong summers. Still, the combination of Porter, Ramsey, Jamel Dean, Asante Samuel Jr., Brandin Echols, and rookie Daylen Everette is a group that Steelers fans should be excited about.
Safeties (4): DeShon Elliott, Jaquan Brisker, Rayshawn Jenkins, Robert Spears-Jennings
I think it's possible that the Steelers choose to consider Ramsey as both a safety option and as the primary nickel defender, leaving Robert Spears Jennings as a potential practice squad candidate this year. For now, though, I think he showed enough in the preseason and camp to justify a spot as the fourth safety. Rayshawn Jenkins looks like a lock as the third safety who can fill in for either DeShon Elliott or Jaquan Brisker if they were to go down.
Offensive line (8*): Zach Frazier, Troy Fautanu, Mason McCormick, Max Iheanachor, Dylan Cook, Spencer Anderson, Gennings Dunker, Brock Hoffman, *potential outside addition*
It may be an overreaction to his dismal play in the preseason, but I can't help but think Broderick Jones' time with the Steelers could be over. Whether it means trading the 2023 first-round pick or outright releasing him, he just hasn't lived up to the hype at any point in his career.
If Pittsburgh does choose to move on, it could initially go with just eight offensive linemen before picking through other teams' cuts to find another depth option. In the meantime, rookies Max Iheanachor and Gennings Dunker are set to start their careers as quality depth, with Brock Hoffman sticking around as the primary center and right guard backup. It could be worse.
Tight end (4): Pat Freiermuth, Darnell Washington, Robert Tonyan, Riley Nowakowski (TE/FB)
If you still needed any evidence that Robert Tonyan was a lock for the final roster, his absence from Thursday's loss to the Bills should be all you needed. With Pat Freiermuth and Darnell Washington entrenched as the top options, Tonyan might not see the field much, but he offers plenty of experience and an established rapport with Aaron Rodgers.
Nowakowski, meanwhile, seems locked in as this teams primary fullback who offers the versatility to line up an H-back or traditional tight end.
Wide receiver (6): DK Metcalf, Michael Pittman Jr., Germie Bernard, Ben Skowronek, Roman Wilson, Kaden Wetjen
With Roman Wilson being held out of the Bills game on Thursday, his supposed blunders from the Steelers' loss to the Jets a week ago seem to have done nothing to change his status. Kaden Wetjen's electric punt return touchdown against Buffalo likely wasn't needed to earn him a roster spot, but it surely made fans breathe a bit easier after he didn't do much as a returner up to that point.
Skowronek may not offer much as a receiver, but he will make this team for his special teams contributions alone. With second-round rookie Germie Bernard also looking the part during the preseason, this group should be much better than last year's.
Running back (4*): Jaylen Warren, Rico Dowdle, Travis Homer, *Lew Nichols
Based on how he has been utilized this preseason and his general performance this summer, Kaleb Johnson's career with the Steelers could be coming to a quick and unfortunate end. The 2025 third-round pick has shown little to no burst as a runner since entering the NFL, and that hasn't changed under a new coaching staff. He may latch on elsewhere and prove the Steelers wrong, but he feels like a clear bust at this point.
For now, I think Pittsburgh keeps both Travis Homer and Lew Nichols on the roster initially. Homer is a great special teamer and could provide some snaps as a pass protector on third downs, but he has only touched the ball 10 times on offense over the past three seasons. Nichols looks like the best pure runner this team has beyond Jaylen Warren and Rico Dowdle, but he could be the one to get cut if they find a ninth offensive lineman that they like.
Fan favorite rookie Eli Heidenreich likely didn't do enough to earn a roster spot this year, but expect to see him land on the practice squad this season.
Quarterback (3*): Aaron Rodgers, Mason Rudolph, Drew Allar, *Will Howard*(Injured Reserve)
Despite plenty of reports suggesting otherwise, including a post-game comment from Mike McCarthy you can read here courtesy of ESPN's Brooke Pryor, I don't buy that the Steelers will keep all four of their QBs. At least, not in a traditional sense.
Will Howard was being evaluated for an injury after he finished the first half of Thursday's game, and I have a feeling that whatever his injury is will lead to the Steelers placing him on injured reserve to start the season. You can call it "stashing" him or whatever else you want to refer to it as, but it would be a way to keep another roster spot open without exposing Howard to other teams.
It's definitely possible that I am just coping with the idea that they could keep all four of these guys, but that's what I am going with for better or worse.
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