4 Steelers veterans who could lose their starting jobs to a rookie this season

Pittsburgh Steelers v Indianapolis Colts
Pittsburgh Steelers v Indianapolis Colts / Michael Hickey/GettyImages
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Competition is one word that is harped on consistently during this portion of the football year. There are going to be a lot of different spots up for grabs once training camp and the pre-season process rolls around in nearly a month. The Steelers could see some changes come to a couple of different starting spots if certain rookies rise to the occasion.

It is not every year that we see a good chunk of incoming rookies have the potential to start day one. There could be a handful of these first-year players that could get a starting job if they show enough to beat out the veteran in front of them come the conclusion of the pre-season. It should be a competitive camp and stretch of games that rev up to the regular season.

A known returner could lose his job to an undrafted free agent

One player that is surprisingly still on the roster is Gunner Olszewski after he was benched early into last season. He was deemed a top returner before coming to Pittsburgh, but that has fallen off since his arrival via free agency. His job as a returner and receiver could be in jeopardy on multiple fronts this time around.

Jordan Byrd might be an underlying concern for Olszewski and his potential roster spot moving forward. Byrd is an undrafted free agent coming out of the 2023 NFL draft and has shown some explosiveness as a returner during his time at San Diego State. He could show enough on special teams to bump Olszewski off the roster and take it as his own.