As the Steelers enter the slower season of the NFL year, there is still a lot up for grabs this offseason. The Steelers have aggressively added to their roster and in particular, the bottom of the roster has a lot of new faces. This will lead to quite a few new faces accounting for the bottom of the depth chart.
This will lead to quite a few former draft picks fighting for their roster spot. Being a draft pick can only get you so far, and the Steelers will eventually replace these players if they aren’t up to standard. While being a pick gives you a better shot, it doesn’t lock you into being with the team long-term. Here are seven former draft picks at risk of not making the roster this Summer.
Steelers may not keep Spencer Anderson
The Steelers rounded out their impressive draft class with Spencer Anderson, a less notable name amidst a talented haul. Anderson was a multi-tool on the offensive line at Maryland and possesses great size to boot. He has experience all over the place, and while he can play tackle, he seems primed to be an interior body.
The issue is the interior of the line has a lot of depth. While the versatility of Anderson will be an aid, it doesn’t lock him into a spot. He needs to get some more reps at center, and if he can prove his value as a tackle, all the better, but Anderson isn’t a lock to make this team given the depth along the line.
Anthony McFarland isn’t a Steelers lock
The Steelers running back room is both one of the strongest positions on the roster as well as one of the shallowest. Najee Harris should have a career season behind his best offensive line, and Jaylen Warren proved to be an effective runner last year as the top backup. Both should be fixtures in this run-heavy offense.
The issue is, the third running back spot is wide open. On paper, that seems trivial, as a third running back shouldn’t see a lot of offensive snaps and should only be a special team’s option. For an offense that is being built around the run though, being three deep will be a necessity, as an injury to either Warren or Harris could hamper the offense.
That is where McFarland comes in. A former fourth-round pick, McFarland was never projected as a primary starter but has the speed of a great change-of-pace option. Unfortunately, he hasn’t been able to put everything together. He has some flashes, but the end results have been poor.
In theory, McFarland would be a great third option, as his speed could be a huge asset for this team. His lack of proven talent and the fact he didn’t even make the roster last year make him more of a question mark. While he is the current favorite to occupy that role, he is far from a roster lock for this offense heading into training camp.
Will the Steelers hold on to Kendrick Green
One of the bigger draft busts in recent years, the entire process of selecting Kendrick Green was a mistake. The team wanted a pro-ready center who could start right away, so they drafted an undersized college guard who had limited experience at the center position. The results were as expected, and Green was a liability in his rookie year.
He followed that up with a mediocre second season, as the team did everything they could to keep him off the field. He was “competing” for a starting role in the offseason, but it was clear he wasn’t having any more success at guard than center.
Green is now back at center in year three, and he actually still has a shot at making the roster. No, he won’t be a starter, but the team is currently lacking a backup center, and Green could fill that role. He has been running with the second team as their center, and if he can show enough competence in the role, he could serve as the primary backup there.
That said, his spot is far from secure, and if the struggles continue, he will be one of the easier cuts to make in the offseason. Don’t completely write him off yet, but he is squarely on the bubble as of now. There is a really good chance he doesn’t make the final roster, even if he has a glimmer of hope as of now.
Steelers Tre Norwood lost his role with the team
One of the biggest surprises of the 2021 rookie class was Tre Norwood. Taken in the seventh round, I, like many others, wrote Norwood off as a potential practice squad guy and not much more. He made the roster outright and even saw some early work in the slot. While that wasn’t great, he did settle into a role on dime defense.
There were expectations that he would maintain that role again in his second season, but he lost out on snaps and was used more as a reserve. When he did see the field, his coverage was fine, but his tackling was abysmal. It seems like the Steelers looked elsewhere as Norwood was consistently missing tackles.
Now, the safety room is extremely deep, and while he could serve as a fifth option, the team may only carry four if they go heavy at cornerback. He really doesn’t have a role anymore, as the dime defense is settled, but he could try his hand in the slot again. Frankly, I think that is his best shot at making the roster.
The slot defender role is wide open this offseason, and Norwood could serve there during coverage downs. The issue is unless his tackling has improved, he won’t be a viable slot defender on early downs. If his tackling is still an issue and he lacks a defined role, don’t be surprised to see him miss the roster this year if his play can’t be corrected.
Steelers could cut Quincy Roche again
It was a relative surprise to see Quincy Roche come back to the Steelers this offseason. While the former sixth-round pick was seen as a draft day steal at the time, he was cut after camp and was scooped up by the Giants. He played as a reserve there that year and was a practice squad name there this past season.
He rejoined this team as a futures player, and it initially looked like he would have a clear path to the roster. That wasn’t due to him being a supreme talent, but instead because of the fact that the Steelers lacked edge depth. Roche had some experience there, which gave him an early edge.
Even after Nick Herbig was drafted, Roche was still firmly the fourth edge rusher, and one could argue that he was the best pure backup edge rusher given Herbig’s lack of pro size. That is no longer the case, as Markus Golden was signed, and while his deal doesn’t guarantee him a roster spot, he seems like a perfect fit for this roster.
Assuming the team keeps Herbig at edge as a rookie, Roche is suddenly the fifth man at a position where only four may be kept. While he needed to prove himself as a worthy roster candidate before, he now needs to really showcase a reason why the Steelers should keep him around this season. He may miss out on the roster again this year.
Steelers may move on from Isaiahh Loudermilk
I remember being absolutely shocked when the Steelers traded up on day three of the draft to take Isaiahh Loudermilk. While he has the ideal size this team looks for in a defensive end, his play was lackluster in school, serving primarily as a run defender and lacking the skills of a pass rusher. He was also a marginal athlete and was an undrafted free agent target in my opinion.
Loudermilk has proven to be a mediocre pro as well. While he has flashed at times, he seems to be close to his ceiling in terms of what he can provide this team, I’m not sure it will justify keeping him around for another year. He offers you nothing as a pass rusher, and his run defense is only average.
The Steelers added quite a few names to the defensive line this offseason. While only one of those new names, Keeanu Benton is a lock to make the team, Loudermilk is now fighting for his job. It seems like DeMarvin Leal is going to get more defensive line work as well this year, meaning that the room has even fewer spots to offer up.
It may come down to a competition between him and Armon Watts as to who will secure the last spot on the roster. Watts is a better pass rusher and can play nose tackle if need be, so I give him the initial edge for the team. That said it will surely be a battle during camp. I’m just not sure Loudermilk offers enough to keep his spot on the roster.
Kevin Dotson doesn’t seem thrilled to be with Steelers
It was no secret that the Steelers wanted to build out their offensive line this offseason. They added two high-value players as well as a pricy backup and the interior of their line is mostly set. That leaves incumbent starter Kevin Dotson in a weird place. Despite being the primary starter for the past two seasons, he is suddenly buried on the depth chart.
That alone doesn’t mean that he should be off the roster. What is hurting his cause is his salary boost this season. Dotson qualified for more money given the amount of playtime he has accumulated, so he is suddenly a pricy depth player.
That isn’t the only thing hurting his cause. He was very vocal at the start of OTA’s about how he knew his role was taken. He seemed almost upset with the team that they would replace him despite a mixed track record of play. He doesn’t seem to want to be here anymore, and the Steelers should be happy to oblige in his departure.
While cutting him outright is far less likely, I do find it hard to see how the team keeps him around this season. He has made it clear he doesn’t envision himself with this team, and the Steelers have found alternatives to him. I fully expect Dotson to be off the roster by the time the regular season begins.
While all seven of these players were draft picks of the team at one point, none of them seem long for the roster. While a few of them could sneak onto the team with an especially good training camp, it seems likely that quite a few of these names are looking for work elsewhere after training camp wraps up.