Most of the dust has finally settled when it comes to the player movement for this time of year. The 53-man rosters are set right now despite a player being moved here and there. Those that were cut are either on new clubs, signed on practice squads, or are sitting out there as free agents. It has been an active past week in the NFL.
The Steelers have done a lot in this past week that has altered their entire roster heading into week one of the regular season. They made trades and other signings to try and secure the best roster heading into the season opener. Pittsburgh also made some signings to their initial practice squad and could make some other additions to the group soon.
Steelers still have openings to fill on their practice squad right now
Right now, the black and gold have three openings on their practice squad. Their initial press release had them signing nine players to the practice unit and other deals that are reportedly in the works. This group is far from being set and the Steelers will look at other options as they look to fill out depth with the practice players.
They have added some quality options to the practice unit and will probably finish signing the allowed 16-man practice squad soon. Some interesting players could come in and fill out the final three openings. Keep an eye on the news wire as the team looks for quality options and awaits players' decisions on where to sign. They have a solid group currently, but they have more room to expand this area of the club.
Pittsburgh added some depth at key offensive positions this year
Trying to keep offensive weapons around is not easy and it only gets more difficult when you try to add to your practice squad. The Steelers were able to add three different players to key positional groups right out of the gate. It would seem to make sense for the club to look at more options for some of these positions to add to the current practice squad.
Rodney Williams is a name that stands out as he had a good training camp. Unfortunately for him, the tight end room was crowded and full of talent. It got Zach Gentry off the roster with solid performances by Darnell Washington and Connor Heyward. Williams is a good developmental piece, but don't be shocked if Gentry signs onto the practice squad if he cannot find a roster spot elsewhere.
Greg Bell is the lone running back on the initial practice squad for Pittsburgh. He did not show many quality plays during the preseason process, but he did just enough to garner this spot. This is his second year in the NFL after being undrafted in 2022. He could be replaced if another option that is seen as an upgrade becomes available.
Dez Fitzpatrick is one of the bigger names on the offensive side of the ball when it comes to the practice unit for Pittsburgh. He has shown some good things at receiver and during kick and punt coverage during the preseason. He is a nice depth piece to keep around, especially with the kind of special teams snaps he could provide if needed.
Depth across the defensive line is exciting on the practice unit
Perhaps one of the strong areas of this team has been at the defensive line throughout the preseason. Many wondered if the Steelers would end up keeping eight defensive linemen for their first edition of the 53-man roster. The club did not go with that idea and made their most noteworthy cut down to 53 players when they released Breiden Fehoko.
Many assumed that he would make the team after he showed great promise at training camp practices and during preseason games. His run stuffing ability is what makes him good in the NFL, but that was not enough for Pittsburgh to employ him on the active roster. Fehoko did make it through waivers and was signed to the practice squad.
Jonathan Marshall also made the practice squad which was always the more realistic route to sticking with the team for him. The defensive line group is too talented and deep in front of him to have had a realistic shot at making the team. Marshall is a developmental piece that is entering his third year in the NFL.
Another deep area on the roster right now is at outside linebacker, otherwise known as the edge rusher position. David Perales had a tremendous collegiate career rushing the passer and translated that into his preseason performances. He did enough to stick on the practice squad and could get a shot this season if injuries start to pile up.
The black and gold added quality depth at defensive back recently
Four defensive backs have been added to the practice squad thus far. Josiah Scott is the most recent addition as the team announced upon writing this article four new additions to the unit. He is a former fourth round pick three years ago and has been hampered with different injury issues thus far. His lack of size could be an issue moving forward.
Trenton Thompson laid the boom on his hits throughout the preseason and impressed the coaches enough to land on the practice squad. His coverage abilities have been brought into question as most of those big hits happened after allowing his opponent to catch the ball. He is a hard-hitting safety that could be something if he can change that hard hitting style into a special team's contributor.
Luq Barcoo signed with the black and gold after a stellar performance in the XFL. He was not able to replicate that XFL success enough on a consistent basis throughout training camp, but he did enough to make the practice team. Barcoo has some talent, and he just needs to find a way to remain consistent if he sticks around till next year.
Rounding out the practice squad secondary is Anthony Brown, formerly of the Dallas Cowboys. He is a former starter for the Dallas Cowboys but did suffer a season-ending injury last year. He was always the second option there, but he has a good amount of quality starts in the NFL. The Steelers signed a quality depth piece that has a lot of starting experience in the league.
The Steelers reportedly have a couple signings in the works to the practice squad
Upon writing this article, multiple additions to the practice squad have been made official with the team. If you investigate closely on the internet, most of these moves were not too surprising. There are officially 13 of the 16 practice squad slots filled by the time this article was written. The Steelers will work hard until the entire unit is filled to the maximum number the NFL allows.
Kellen Diesch was reported by Mike Garafolo to sign with Pittsburgh's practice unit a day before things became official. He has not done anything too exciting throughout his career, but he is the monumental size that every team searches for in an offensive tackle. He is getting older, but he is worth the shot to keep around and try to mold into something.
If anyone likes to search social media for Steelers content, many saw that Simi Fehoko's addition to the practice squad was a matter of when and not if. He is the cousin of Breiden Fehoko, but he plays receiver. He is a big target at receiver and is a former fifth round pick by the Dallas Cowboys in the 2021 NFL Draft.
Another offensive lineman addition became official today after Matt Barrows reported a day before the signing became official. Joey Fisher was signed to the practice squad and the undrafted rookie of this past draft class is an interesting prospect at guard. Fisher has also played some tackle, but he could be molded into a solid depth piece at guard with the Steelers.