The Pittsburgh Steelers are two games through the preseason, and it feels like the roster is quickly taking shape. It has been an eventful two games for the team, to say the least.
Unfortunately, the roster construction will have to get funky.
It feels like the team wants to keep more players at certain positions than is typical. This could force some lines to be thinner in order to accommodate. It all starts on offense, where the plan at quarterback seems questionable at best.
The Pittsburgh Steelers are forced to get creative with their roster construction
QB (4): Aaron Rodgers, Mason Rudolph, Will Howard, Drew Allar
I hate that this team seems poised to carry four quarterbacks. It feels so unnecessary, and it will force the team to make cuts at other positions.
Will Howard was allowed to win the backup job. He has seemingly failed, so the team will be forced to keep Mason Rudolph. Frankly, I don’t see this team contending this year, so I’m still in the camp of trying to trade Rudolph and keeping the young options.
On the flip side, if the Steelers don’t feel like Howard can be the top backup, I don’t see a reason to keep him. Add in Drew Allar’s relatively strong play, and you can argue that this is all a moot point and he should be the guy.
Instead, the team keeps four, meaning two guys will have to find their way onto the inactive list. It comes at the cost of some depth at other talented positions.
RB (3): Jaylen Warren, Rico Dowdle, Travis Homer
The battle at running back went like no one expected. Kaleb Johnson was once again a disaster, while Eli Heidenreich failed to show off the explosive plays he had in school.
That said, there is still a battle brewing here. I’ll give the edge to the special teams ace in Travis Homer right now, but I’ll keep my eyes peeled on Lew Nichols, as I think he has a real shot to make the final roster.
WR (6): D.K. Metcalf, Michael Pittman, Roman Wilson, Germie Bernard, Ben Skowronek, Kaden Wetjen
This group remains set. There are some mumblings that Kaden Wetjen could be cut, but that would be a massive black eye on the organization if he gets cut right out of camp.
The question boils down to who dresses as the third receiver between Roman Wilson and Germie Bernard. Wilson has flashed in camp, while Bernard has played better in games. Other than that, this group is locked in.
TE (4): Pat Freiermuth, Darnell Washington, Riley Nowakowski, Robert Tonyan
Riley Nowakowski is going to have a bigger role than many people think in 2026. He feels like a fun chess piece that can do a lot of things for the offense.
The duo of Pat Freiermuth and Darnell Washington is one of the best in the league. Meanwhile, Robert Tonyan could be cut initially to get a player on injured reserve, but I fully expect him to be on this active roster by week one.
OL (9): Troy Fautanu, Mason McCormick, Zack Frazier, Spencer Anderson, Dylan Cook, Brock Hoffman, Max Iheanachor, Gennings Dunker, Broderick Jones
I’ll start with nine names here, but it certainly feels like the team could roll with eight to start the year and send one of their rookies to injured reserve. If that is the case, expect a heavy number of linemen on the practice squad.
While the starters feel set, they haven’t looked great during the preseason so far. Ideally, the unit can hit the ground running once the regular season begins.
DL (6): Cameron Heyward, Yahya Black, Derrick Harmon, Keeanu Benton, Sebastian Joseph-Day, Gabriel Rubio
This is a position I really wanted to hold onto seven names, but couldn’t due to the quarterback crunch. Once again, I’d expect the practice squad to be heavy here.
The top five are great. I love that Yahya Black is seeing a lot of traditional nose tackle work, allowing Keeanu Benton to move around. There is talent and experience all over the place.
I’ll give Gabriel Rubio the edge for the final spot. He has played well in the preseason, and it feels like Dean Lowry can be snuck onto the practice squad.
Edge (4): T.J. Watt, Alex Highsmith, Nick Herbig, Jack Sawyer
Nothing to see here. This group has been set in stone. Jamin Davis has flashed, but he can be kept on the practice squad, or they can look elsewhere for depth.
LB (5): Patrick Queen, Payton Wilson, Cole Holcomb, Elandon Roberts, Carson Bruener
It feels like this group is mostly set in stone. Malik Harrison is the easiest cut on the roster right now, and these five feel like safe bets.
The question will be: if you dress four, who doesn’t get a helmet? It feels like Cole Holcomb is running ahead of Elandon Roberts right now, but Roberts feels like the better defender. If only four linebackers are kept, Holcomb and Roberts should be sweating.
CB (5): Joey Porter, Jamel Dean, Asante Samuel, Brandon Echols, Daylen Everette
I could see a name here starting the season on injured reserve and either carrying four true cornerbacks (with Jalen Ramsey also an option there) or even keeping a name like Doneiko Slaughter for the short term.
The top five feel set though, given the investment level and how they have played.
S (5): Jalen Ramsey, DeShon Elliott, Jaquan Brisker, Rayshawn Jenkins, Robert Spears-Jennings
I like this group of five, assuming they do actually keep five here. Ramsey is a better fit at safety, while DeShon Elliot and Jaquan Brisker are quality players to mix and match.
Rayshawn Jenkins has played extremely well, can contribute on special teams, and has veteran experience. Robert Spears-Jennings has excelled this summer and would be hard to cut. I hope they keep both for the time being.
ST (3): Chris Boswell, Cameron Johnston, Christian Kuntz
There is currently no competition in this room, so I expect all three of these specialists to make the team at this point.
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