3 fringe Steelers players who will make the roster, and 2 who won't

Steelers fringe player that won’t make the roster: LB Tanner Muse

The Steelers are in a weird spot when it comes to their linebacker room. The team will likely carry only nine total players here between the edge rushers and off-ball linebackers. Four edge rushers and two off-ball names are already locked in, leaving a total of three spots up for grabs.

While I am less confident now than before, Mark Robinson should be a favorite to lock in one of those open spots. From there, it will be a three-way battle between Tanner Muse, Nick Kwiatkoski, and Quincy Roche.

The easiest name to single out is Roche, as fifth-edge rushers aren’t overly common for the team. That said, he has flashed some special teams ability with the Giants over the past few years and was a productive backup. What really may give him an edge is that rookie Nick Herbig may ultimately play more of an off-the-ball role. If he does, the team may want Roche around as additional depth.

That would leave the Kwiatkoski and Muse fighting for that last spot. While wildly different players, both have very similar roles. Neither should be taking the majority of defensive snaps, but are instead depth options with great special teams ability. While Muse is the more athletic player, Kwiatkoski is the better depth in my opinion.

While it is rare for the Steelers to cut their free agent signings, Muse was added for the minimum and could be forced out given the crowd at linebacker. If the team keeps Herbig as purely an edge rusher, this conversation is a lot more open. If not, Muse will be battling for a spot on the final roster.