The preseason process is just about to wrap up and that brings around one of the toughest times of the year for those involved within the NFL. August 29th marks the day when the Steelers and the other 31 teams in the league have to trim their roster down to 53 players. Each team currently holds the allotted 90-man limit, but that will change soon.
Once four o'clock rolls around on Tuesday, players will have their dreams of making an NFL roster known. Some will make the team and others will be cut. Some of those released will either be picked up by other NFL clubs, signed to the teams practice squad, or looking for a new career path. It is going to be interesting when it comes to Pittsburgh's final decision on who to keep and who to let go.
An experienced veteran on defense might not make the roster
There are still a couple of things to determine when it comes to the final spots to fill out the roster for this club. The depth across the defensive line is one of those spots that still need to be situated moving forward. There are likely two or three spots up for grabs and four players in the trenches are trying to secure one of those slots.
Those four fighting for roster positioning are Breiden Fehoko, Montravius Adams, Isaiahh Loudermilk, and Armon Watts. It is going to be a struggle for Watts to make this team when final cuts roll through. He has done some good things in training camp and the preseason, but nothing to write home about. Watts's experience will help him, but he will likely lose his spot to Loudermilk or Adams when it is all finished.
The Steelers might have to depart with an expensive depth option
It has long been speculated that Gunner Olszewski has been a replaceable piece for the Steelers dating back to this past offseason. His cap number created a situation that made little sense to keep the former star returner around. Sadly, after signing him the offseason prior to a contract during free agency, Olszewski had a poor season.
His cap number was high, and the Steelers seemed open to the idea of creating as much cap space as possible to spend this past offseason. It would have made a lot of sense for the black and gold to cut bait and send Olszewski back into the free agency waters through his release. For one reason or another, the Steelers decided to keep the veteran special teamer around to battle for a roster spot this preseason.
No matter if his immediate future ends in Pittsburgh or not, Olszewski has been able to revamp his status in the league through training camp. He was able to have a strong performance there which has kept him fighting for one of the final roster spots. He was also one of the most productive receivers there during those practices.
Calvin Austin III is the person who likely keeps him off the roster if Olszewski does not make it. Austin is the better receiver and has shown explosiveness as a punt returner. It is possible that this veteran receiver can stick around when final cuts roll through. A lot of that will depend on if the Steelers decide to keep five or six receivers because that could make a difference.
Linebacker is too crowded for this local product to make the team
Sometimes a positional group is just too crowded to keep all of the players that are qualified otherwise. Inside linebacker is a spot where there are not a ton of quality players, but there are solid starting capable players from the top down. There are a few question marks that could turn out to be better than what many people expect heading into the regular season.
Cole Holcomb is the three-down linebacker right now with a mix of Elandon Roberts, Mark Robinson, and Kwon Alexander earning snaps next to him. That marks four linebackers for the inside position for this defense coming out of the preseason. There seems to be one roster spot open and both Tanner Muse and Nick Kwiatkoski have been fighting for that spot in camp and beyond.
That last spot seems like Muse's place to lose right now as he has shown a steady demeanor throughout the preseason process. Add that on top of Kwiatkoski missing some practices and portions of games with injury, and it gives Muse a good lead. Another thing not working in Kwiatkoski's favor is the type of play style that he would bring to this team.
Muse is more complementary to what this roster is currently looking for. Someone who can be better in coverage and can excel as a special teamer. It would have been a nice story to see Kwiatkoski make his hometown team, but that story will never be printed. The linebacker room is just too deep right now and that put Kwiatkoski behind the eight ball before he even got here.
Pittsburgh needs to move on from a draft bust instead of keeping him
The time has finally come for the Steelers to move on from Kendrick Green. He hasn't been good since he was drafted a couple of years ago in the third round of the 2021 NFL Draft. They have tried everything that they could to keep him relevant since then and it has not worked. Green is a draft bust; it is that plain and simple.
Not everything can be pinned on Green because when a player is this bad of a draft, it is a group letdown. The Steelers were not able to coach him properly and Green was seemingly over drafted during that night in 2021. Progression in his game at the next level never happened and he seemed to be set up for failure from the start.
He would be the starting center for Pittsburgh during his rookie season and that was one of the worst performances by a rookie in recent memory. He rarely played center in college, but the black and gold thought he would magically be able to pick that up quickly. They then followed that up by trying to juggle him between guard and center as a last-ditch effort for him to become a starter again, which failed.
This past training camp saw him get some good publicity as the Steelers tried him at fullback as well as depth in the interior of the offensive line. He was an interesting story for a week or two because of the fullback option, but he continues to struggle in the blocking aspect of his game. Green is not good enough for the NFL and it is time he leaves Pittsburgh for another career move.
Edge rushers have been full of talent this preseason for the Steelers
Off-season's are crazy in the NFL and perhaps no other team has as busy of one other than the Steelers. Omar Khan kept those who cover the club busy as he made free agency signings and trade acquisitions throughout the slower months of the football calendar. Those moves always change the idea of what this team could look like when the regular season kicks off.
Even after free agency and trades commenced, the draft ended up being another portion of the off-season that was praised by many. New players were brought into the fold to either start, push for a starting spot, or boost certain depth roles. One signing that many thought would make the roster early on was Quincy Roche.
He is a former sixth round selection of the Steelers in the 2021 NFL Draft. He has shown the ability to stick in the NFL as he was with the New York Giants for a couple of years after Pittsburgh cut him during his rookie year. Roche has not been great throughout his young career, but he is seen as a solid depth player at the outside linebacker position.
Unfortunately for Roche, the Steelers have stockpiled a ton of talent at outside linebacker since he joined the club. Both Markus Golden and Nick Herbig are talented players who have stood out at training camp and the preseason. Roche could always revert to the practice squad, but he could always find a home on an NFL roster like last time.