3 Steelers who should be cut after preseason Week 2

The Pittsburgh Steelers are preparing for their 2024 preseason finale. In less than a week, Mike Tomlin and his staff will be forced to cut their team's roster from 90 players down to 53. Some decisions will be easier than others.

Pittsburgh's offense couldn't get moving against the Buffalo Bills in Week 2 of the preseason, and there are plenty of fingers to point. Most of these hiccups will be fixed early in the season, but some players don't look like they belong on the NFL stage.

The Steelers will need to get a great look at their players one final time in Pittsburgh's preseason finale against the Lions, but these players should be cut so that others with a chance of sticking around on the roster or practice squad can get added looks before roster cuts.

WR Quez Watkins

The Quez Watkins experiment has been a nightmare for the Steelers. The speedster was underwhelming with the Eagles and has done nothing to give Pittsburgh's offense a spark. In addition to being non-existent in the passing game, Watkins was atrocious in his limited opportunities as a punt returner before the Steelers realized he could not help the team in that regard.

Against the Bills in the preseason Week 2, the Steelers had twelve players catch at least one pass but Watkins was not among them (he was targeted just once).

The veteran wide receiver has only contributed negative plays so far in the preseason and he's clearly behind fellow wide receivers Scotty Miller and Dez Fitzpatrick. There's no sense in wasting valuable reps on Wakins in Pittsburgh's preseason finale, and the Steelers should cut him now so that he has a chance to land with another team.

RB Aaron Shampklin

Outside of Pittsburgh's top two running backs, Jaylen Warren and Najee Harris, no backup has been exceptional this summer. However, some have stood out more than others. Aaron Shampklin has not been one of them.

With Jonathan Ward and Daijun Edwards popping off impressive runs in the first two preseason games, Shampklin has been just another face in the crowd. The Steelers should use the final game to decide if Ward, Edwards, or La'Mical Perine should be kept on the practice squad. Shampklin should be cut before the Steelers' preseason game against the Lions.

OT Anderson Hardy

The Pittsburgh Steelers have experienced some major issues with the offensive line in their first two preseason games, and things will need to get cleaned up in a hurry with the regular season just weeks away. Unfortunately, Anderson Hardy will not be part of the solution.

You can etch the top three Steelers offensive tackles in stone: Troy Fautanu, Broderick Jones, and Dan Moore Jr. Outside of these three Dylan Cook is next in line, followed by Devery Hamilton. There's certainly no place for Hardy on the roster, and he hasn't shown enough to land on the practice squad.

Considering how much we still need to see Broderick and the offensive line clean up their play in the preseason finale, the Steelers shouldn't waste reps on a player like Hardy who will undoubtedly be cut a few days from now.