It's official! The Pittsburgh Steelers have cut their 90-man roster down to their initial 53-man roster for the 2026 season. It was a brutal few days of grueling roster cuts and surprise trades following the team's preseason finale against the Buffalo Bills. But after making a handful of painful decisions, the Steelers are roster-compliant.
This doesn't necessarily mean that these will be the same 53 players we will see take the field on Sundays. General manager Omar Khan and the front office now have a short window to make additional roster moves before the team kicks off against the Atlanta Falcons in their Week 1 contest.
For now, however, this is the squad that new head coach Mike McCarthy and his coaching staff are rolling with for the 2026 season.
The Pittsburgh Steelers' official 53-man roster ahead of the 2026 season
Position | Player |
|---|---|
QB | Aaron Rodgers |
QB | Mason Rudolph |
QB | Drew Allar |
QB | Will Howard |
RB | Jaylen Warren |
RB | Rico Dowdle |
RB/WR | Eli Heidenreich |
WR | DK Metcalf |
WR | Michael Pittman Jr. |
WR | Germie Bernard |
WR | Roman Wilson |
WR | Ben Skowronek |
WR | Kaden Wetjen |
TE | Pat Freiermuth |
TE | Darnell Washington |
TE | Robert Tonyan |
TE/FB | Riley Nowakowski |
OT | Troy Fautanu |
OT | Max Iheanachor |
OT | Dylan Cook |
G | Mason McCormick |
G | Spencer Anderson |
G | Gennings Dunker |
G/C | Brock Hoffman |
C | Zach Frazier |
C | Ryan McCollum |
DL | Cameron Heyward |
DL | Derrick Harmon |
DL | Keeanu Benton |
DL | Sebastian Joseph-Day |
DL | Yahya Black |
DL | Gabriel Rubio |
DL | Kevin Jobity Jr. |
EDGE | T.J. Watt |
EDGE | Nick Herbig |
EDGE | Alex Highsmith |
EDGE | Jack Sawyer |
LB | Patrick Queen |
LB | Payton Wilson |
LB | Cole Holcomb |
LB | Carson Bruener |
CB | Joey Porter Jr. |
CB | Jamel Dean |
CB | Asante Samuel Jr. |
CB | Daylen Everette |
CB | Brandin Echols |
CB/S | Jalen Ramsey |
S | Jaquan Brisker |
S | Rayshawn Jenkins |
S | Robert Spears-Jenniings |
K | Chris Boswell |
P | Cameron Johnston |
LS | Christian Kuntz |
Placed on Steelers' Reserve/Injured list (Designated for Return)
Player | Position |
|---|---|
S | DeShon Elliott |
OL | Jack Driscoll |
The Pittsburgh Steelers kept four QBs and made two surprising trades on offense
Let's start with the quarterback position. As McCarthy hinted, the Steelers found a way to get all four quarterbacks on their initial 53-man roster. After a shaky preseason, fans wondered if Will Howard would be cut. This doesn't mean that all four will be on the roster for the whole season, but McCarthy found a way to sneak Howard on the initial roster.
At running back, there were discussions not only about how many the Steelers should keep on the 53-man roster, but also about who they should keep. Second-year RB and 2025 third-round pick Kaleb Johnson had an underwhelming summer, as did rookie seventh-round pick Eli Heidenreich. The Steelers found a trade partner, sending Johnson to the Green Bay Packers in exchange for a 2028 sixth-round pick. Interestingly, Heidenreich made the initial roster.
When it came to the wide receiver position, keeping six always felt like the most logical solution—especially considering the team used a fourth-round draft choice on Iowa return specialist Kaden Wetjen. Roman Wilson, Ben Skowronek and Wetjen made the team alongside veterans DK Metcalf and Michael Pittman Jr. and second-round rookie Germie Bernard.
The Steelers kept the four tight ends that have been expected to make the roster since mid-August. Veteran Robert Tonyan will join Pat Freiermuth and Darnell Washington at the position, while rookie Riley Nowakowski—who is expected to play a hybrid tight end/H-back/fullback role— rounds out the group.
The offensive line is where things get interesting. With such a deep group, fans wondered if Broderick Jones' roster spot was safe. As it turns out, the Steelers were seeking to trade the 2023 first-round pick. The Steelers pulled off a trade with the Dallas Cowboys, which sent Jones and a 2027 fourth-round pick to Dallas for a 2027 third-round pick and a 2027 6th-round pick.
The Steelers stunned fans with experienced defensive veterans missing the 53-man roster
Switching over to defense, the Steelers kept six interior defensive linemen. The first five (including Yahya Black) were always a lock to make the team, but the final spot was potentially up for grabs. This ultimately went to rookie sixth-round pick Gabriel Rubio. Interestingly, both veterans Dean Lowry and Esezi Otomewo did not make the 53-man roster.
The most predictable group of the bunch was the edge rusher position. The Steelers historically keep four outside linebackers, and that trend continued with T.J. Watt, Nick Herbig, Alex Highsmith, and Jack Sawyer.
At off-ball linebacker, the Steelers stunned the fanbase when they released veteran Elandon Roberts hours before the NFL roster deadline. Roberts was expected to join Patrick Queen and Payton Wilson, as Cole Holcomb and second-year LB Carson Bruener round out the group, but this won't be the case. Malik Harrison missed the cut.
The cornerback position is perhaps the deepest on the roster. With buzz surrounding Joey Porter Jr., we didn't know exactly what his roster status would look like. As it turns out, the team activated Porter at the last minute, placing him on the 53-man roster. Joining Porter at cornerback are Jamel Dean, Jalen Ramsey, Asante Samuel Jr., Brandin Echols, and rookie Daylen Everette. Second-year CB Donte Kent was placed on the Reserve/Physically Unable to Perform list.
At safety, we knew veterans DeShon Elliott and Jaquan Brisker were safe. However, Elliott was placed on injured reserve with a designation to return. His season is not over, but he technically does not begin the year on the 53-man roster. Rounding out the group are Rayshawn Jenkins and rookie Robert Spears-Jennings. Ramsey is also expected to play some safety, so this gives the Steelers a bit more depth in the backend of the defense.
The specialists were never in question. The Steelers had just three on their roster ahead of the team's third preseason game, and these are the three they are sticking with. Kicker Chris Boswell signed a four-year $28 million extension during the 2026 offseason. Meanwhile, Cameron Johnston earned a spot as the punter, while long snapper Christian Kuntz will be on the roster for another season.
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