The Pittsburgh Steelers’ 53-man roster has been released, but it is clearly far from final. One prime example is in the safety room. While there are eight defensive backs listed on the Steelers' initial roster, only three play safety.
As it stands, starters Juan Thornhill and DeShon Elliott and special teams ace Miles Killebrew are the only safeties listed on the official roster. Considering Killebrew’s primary duties are on special teams, clearly, the team cannot head into the season without any depth at safety.
Of course, where those three stayed on the roster, late camp signing Chuck Clark and undrafted free agent rookie Sebastian Castro were the most notable cuts at the position.
More changes to come at safety after Pittsburgh Steelers decide to cut Castro
The Castro cut isn’t too surprising, though it is a disappointment. While it appears the Steelers have something of a pipeline building with the Iowa Hawkeyes program, Castro did not stick on the roster with Yahya Black and Logan Lee. Castro came into his first training camp with plenty of fanfare, but his preseason ended much quieter than fans had hoped it to be.
Castro could be a practice squad candidate, but he will have to clear waivers to land there. Unfortunately, the route back to the main roster seems less likely. If the Steelers put Will Howard and Donte Knet on injured reserve as expected, the roster spots that are opened up will likely impact the defensive backfield. Pittsburgh would then have the space to bring Clark and cornerback James Pierre back into the fold.
Of course, like Castro, Clark does have to clear waivers as well. The Steelers can monitor the waiver wire themselves to find more safety help. That would prove uncharacteristic, however.
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While Steelers fans can rest assured that the safety depth will be cleared up sooner rather than later, Castro’s future is very much in doubt in Pittsburgh. While Steelers fans got themselves riled up over his potential to play a key role in the wake of Minkah Fitzpatrick’s departure, his lack of substance in the preseason put the writing on the wall for his 2025 season.
Hopefully, the Steelers are able to bring him back on the practice squad and develop him into a potential depth piece next season. In the meantime, expect Clark back on the roster if Pittsburgh doesn’t find someone more tantalizing on the waiver wire. That would serve as the best-case scenario for Castro, who could then look forward to landing a roster spot next season.