The regular season is in full gear as the Steelers hope to make a strong push during this upcoming campaign. They have shown their issues early in the schedule, but it is a long campaign ahead of them. Even though they have their current 53-man roster assembled, that does not mean that movement could happen at any moment.
These are some players who could hear their names called to the coach's office to get bad news between now and the conclusion of the regular season. The Steelers might have to make some changes if they have continuous struggles this year to try and salvage the season. These players might be on the roster now, but there could be a replacement brought in for their spot.
James Pierre has not done enough to stick with the Steelers
One player who made the roster because of sure lack of quality numbers was James Pierre. He did just enough to make the roster, but the Steelers did go out and add Desmond King II because they were not comfortable with the depth at the cornerback position. Pierre does play on special teams and that is the main reason why he sticks around.
He is a slow player for his position in today's NFL. Pierre has not been able to make the type of progress that the Steelers hoped for when they signed him as an undrafted free agent. An NFL roster is a pure numbers game and Pittsburgh will always try to field the best roster every week. If injury issues start to arise, it would make sense for Pierre to go and be replaced by someone else.
Pressley Harvin III may have won the job, but he is struggling to keep it
Special teams are a very important part of football as they can directly affect the outcomes of games. If your kicker is having a bad time, your club misses out on points which will cost your team more times than not. The long snapper is not as vital, but they do play a big role in the overall operation for delivering holders and punters the ball in an accurate and timely manner.
Punters are one of the least respected positions in football just because no one truly believes that they are important for the game. That is untrue as someone like Pressley Harvin III has shown time and time again during his struggled punts. If your punter shanks a punt, it can shorten the field for the opposing team in a significant way.
Mike Tomlin has taken notice with week one against the San Francisco 49ers being the main example. The problem that Harvin has always had since being drafted by Pittsburgh is his lack of consistency. He needs to find that soon or he will be out of a job in this city. Everyone has wanted him to work for this town after his draft coverage, but it has not worked out thus far.
Constant hiccups in the punting game and issues with his consistency will ultimately cost him if it continues. There could be reasons for off the field family issues that still haunt his performance to this day. Unfortunately, the NFL is a performance based business, and Tomlin and company will have to act fast if Harvin cannot figure things out as his time draws to a pivotal point.
Someone like Gunner Olszewski could be cut if someone else emerges
While Diontae Johnson is out with his injury for the next several weeks, others will have to step up. Calvin Austin III and Allen Robinson II will see elevated roles over the next handful of weeks until Johnson's injury gets situated. For now, Dez Fitzpatrick, Miles Boykin, and Gunner Olszewski will round out the receiver group.
One name to monitor for the future with the team is Olszewski. He had a strong training camp and a decent preseason that got him on the 53-man roster. The issue with him arises from his lack of availability compared to last year. Austin has proven to be a better returner and receiver than Olszewski ever has been with the Steelers.
If Austin or others were to get injured, it seems unlikely that Olszewski would get many snaps other than as a returner. If other injuries at receiver begin to pile up, expect these other guys like Boykin or Fitzpatrick to get some looks. Fitzpatrick is the more interesting of the two that could have a shot at beating out both and stick on the roster after his initial start on the practice squad.
Olszewski just is not providing much to this roster other than some backup material to what Austin's role is. He has been a solid returner in the past, but he lost his role to Austin this past preseason and it was not close. If numbers start to get wacky for Pittsburgh, they will probably turn their attention to Olszewski as the odd man out on this team.
Elijah Riley was a nice camp story that has gone quiet since the preseason
One of the biggest surprises that happened this past preseason was Elijah Riley's emergence. He had been a depth safety for most of his career to that point, but he worked on adding some position flexibility this past offseason. He noticed that the Steelers slot cornerback role was open for the taking and started to work on that part of his game.
He might not be a top-tier level guy there, but he was able to make a viable competitor against Chandon Sullivan. It seems like Sullivan has won the bulk of those snaps on defense when called upon, but the coaches have been distributing the slot snaps in a unique way to start the season. Riley has not gotten many looks on defense thus far.
Sullivan has the most experience in the slot by a wide margin when you look at the number of snaps. It makes sense why the black and gold would feel more comfortable with him taking most of the snaps there. Riley has had a hard time getting opportunities other than on special teams. His position flexibility both in the slot and at safety does give him a good chance to stick, but it might be hard.
Desmond King II was brought in and that could spell doom for one of these secondary members. He has a lot of experience both on the outside and in the slot role too. With Patrick Peterson struggling on the outside, it seems like he might be forced inside. That would leave King on the outside and either Sullivan or Riley on the outside looking in.