The Pittsburgh Steelers have been busy retooling their roster early in the 2024 offseason, and more changes will be on the way during the NFL Draft. So far, Omar Khan has revamped the quarterback room while adding depth to positions like cornerback and linebacker.
Every team will carry a 90-man summer roster that will be cut down to just 53 players by the time the season starts. Many of these players are buried on the depth chart and will be looking for a chance to carve out a role with the team in 2024, but dozens will be looking for employment elsewhere when it's all said and done.
For many, the chances of making the Steelers roster could hinge on what Pittsburgh decides to do in the NFL Draft this year. However, here are five players currently on the roster I feel confident in saying won't make the team in 2024.
Denzel Mims, WR
How the mighty have fallen. Denzel Mims is a former Senior Bowl standout and second-round pick of the New York Jets back in 2020. After playing in 30 games and making 15 starts in his first three years, Mims never saw the field for a meaningful football game in 2023.
At 6'3'' and 207 pounds with 4.38 speed a 38.5'' vertical and 6.66 3-cone, Mims tested phenomenally at the 2020 NFL Combine, but these physical gifts don't always show up on the field. Though it seems like the Steelers would be able to find a way to use him, Mims is buried on the depth chart.
To make the team, Mims would need to be a core special teamer, but with a mere 3 special teams snaps under his belt entering his fifth NFL season, he's unlikely to help in this area. Despite the promise he once had as the 59th overall pick, Mims won't be able to stick on the Steelers roster in 2024.
Kyle Allen, QB
Kyle Allen has bounced around the NFL as a backup quarterback. He's now on his fifth team since 2018. In his second season in 2019, Allen was forced to be the starting quarterback of the Carolina Panthers when Cam Newton went down with a season-ending injury after just two games. Allen could barely hold down the fort -- throwing 17 touchdowns and 16 interceptions for an 80.0 passer rating.
Though his QB2 days are behind him, Allen is capable of being a QB3 in the NFL. But will he get that chance with the Steelers? Even after the additions of Russell Wilson and Justin Fields, Pittsburgh is bound to add more competition for QB depth. Pittsburgh could look to a developmental prospect during or after the NFL Draft who could win the job or sign a free agent who would be an upgrade before training camp.
Ryan McCollum, C
Ryan McCollum is the only true center the Pittsburgh Steelers have on their roster at the moment. But despite the utter lack of depth at the position, I have a hard time believing that he is going to be on the roster in 2024.
Nate Herbig, who is a guard by trade, is already listed ahead of McCollum on the depth chart, and the Steelers could add a center early in the NFL Draft. Spencer Anderson also made the final roster as a rookie in 2023. If McCollum couldn't make it work with Mason Cole as his biggest competition last summer, it's he's not going to make the Steelers roster when Pittsburgh finds an improvement at center in 2024.
David Perales, LB
David Perales was a training camp favorite. Following a productive career at Fresno State, fans were excited to see him added to the summer roster as an undrafted free agent following the 2023 draft.
Perales is a tweener in a bad way -- stuck in between in linebacker and an edge defender without enough athletic traits to stick at either. At 6'2'' and 248 pounds, Perales ran a 5.04 at his 2023 Pro Day and tested as a 34th percentile athlete according to RAS. His lack of athletic traits won't help him earn a roster spot in 2024.
Breiden Fehoko, DT
With Pittsburgh's struggles to stop the run in recent years, many fans were hoping that nose tackle Breiden Fehoko would have been able to stick on the Steelers roster in 2023. However, his niche as a run-plugger wasn't enough to warrant one of the final spots on the defensive line.
Fehoko is back with another shot to prove himself this summer on a one-year, $1.055 million deal, but if it doesn't work out, Pittsburgh can cut him before the season without losing a dime. If the Steelers add more DL competition in 2024 -- specifically a true nose tackle -- Fehoko once again becomes expendable. He won't make the final Steelers roster this year.