It was tough seeing the Pittsburgh Steelers lose their grip on the lead late in their preseason finale against the Buffalo Bills. With that being said, the over-glorified scrimmages of the summer are now complete, and the team must focus on the difficult roster cuts on the horizon. Those who sit on the roster bubble better have shown some quality play during the preseason, or they could lose their jobs.
Following preseason action and training camp, there are a couple of players who seem well positioned to make it past roster cuts. Others who didn't prove themselves enough could be on the outside looking in. The Steelers will have some tough decisions to make when they start to trim extras off the team.
They can only hang onto 53 on the roster, which means they need to let go of 26 more players as of writing.
There are some positions that could be more enticing to monitor during roster cuts than others. Keep an eye on the defensive line, as the Steelers could go in a variety of ways when it comes to their final decisions. The running back group is also interesting, with Kaleb Johnson's future with the team now in question. With plenty of tough choices coming up, it could lead to some intriguing drama.
Pittsburgh Steelers who have a better shot of overcoming roster cuts after preseason finale
Odds going up: Dean Lowry
Although he didn't play in the preseason finale, Dean Lowry's odds of making the roster have seemingly increased. That is somewhat of a surprise, as Lowry hasn't done anything of note throughout the summer. His preseason debut this year was one to forget, but perhaps his connection to Aaron Rodgers and Mike McCarthy is enough for him to make it going into the regular season.
You would have to imagine that Lowry's absence from the final preseason game against the Bills was somewhat scheduled for the player.
In actuality, it would have been nice to see the veteran work harder for his job. Having the amount of experience he carries is valuable depth along the defensive line, but there were some younger pieces who should've been given a better shot.
Odds going down: Kaleb Johnson
We can talk about Kaleb Johnson and his possibility of being part of roster cuts until we are blue in the face. The truth is that last year's third-round pick is firmly on the roster bubble as cutdown day inches closer. Perhaps Pittsburgh can locate a trade partner for the bust before they have to cut him. Getting some sort of trade value in return would be better than giving up on him.
All of this started when Johnson made a terrible special teams play during his rookie season. Ever since, he's been in the doghouse, and even with a new coaching staff, he hasn't been able to get out. Johnson's fit within the Steelers' offense looks suspect, and there seems to be no resolution in sight. After a rather uninspired preseason performance, his future with the team continues to be murky.
Odds going up: Gabriel Rubio
Maybe he didn't do anything flashy at training camp or during the preseason, but Gabriel Rubio might be one of the biggest surprises this summer. No one gave him a thought entering the process after everyone deemed him the worst pick by the Steelers during the 2026 NFL Draft. Some might've argued that he could've been the biggest reach of the entire draft.
He has proved those people wrong.
Keep in mind that Rubio is very much still on the roster bubble, but after the preseason, he has a better shot of sticking around rather than becoming a cut candidate. The sixth-round pick from this past spring has overcome his poor draft review and worked his tail off. He isn't a flashy defensive lineman, but he works hard, gives 100% effort, and is a strong run stuffer for Pittsburgh to keep.
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