Free agency has seen a lot of new faces join the black and gold in their efforts of becoming a better roster from last season. The Steelers still have plenty of work left in front of them before they can call themselves a team. The NFL draft still needs to happen before this roster can even have any resemblance of structure going forward.
Many should expect this group to have a lot of areas full of competition to make the final 53-man roster. There is a long way to go before those final decisions need to be made. Rookies and outside free agents will help shape this roster and so will the pre-season process when that kicks into high gear this summer.
Steelers make some changes at their specialist position on this roster
Specialists (3): Chris Boswell, free agent punter/rookie, Christian Kuntz
Both punter and kicker need to have some semblance of competition brought into training camp to battle for a roster spot. Chris Boswell is coming off his worst season in Pittsburgh and his job should not feel comfortable heading into next season. Despite competition entering the room. Boswell will make the roster on a short leash. Christian Kuntz just re-signed on a one-year deal and should be a safe bet to make the team.
Pressley Harvin III heads into his third season as the Steelers punter, but he might not make it out of camp. Punter should be a top priority for this club to find and bring in some competition for Harvin. He showed little signs of improvement since he got drafted, and that should make his role more expendable if he cannot prove himself during the preseason.
Steelers add a quarterback and other familiar faces around the roster
Quarterback (3): Kenny Pickett, Mitch Trubisky, Stetson Bennett (rookie)
Kenny Pickett is the guy for this franchise, and he is a slam dunk to make this team. He will be the starter for this group for plenty of years to come unless a lot of things go wrong. Mitch Trubisky has gotten a lot of conjecture this offseason about his future with the organization. The Steelers seem to really like him as a backup and that is where he will be going forward.
Adding another quarterback will be on the docket for Pittsburgh sometime between now and when training camp opens. It seems less likely that the black and gold will add someone through free agency and will wait to address the need via the draft. They add Stetson Bennett here in round seven and he is a proven quarterback that finds different ways to win ball games.
Running back (4): Najee Harris, Jaylen Warren, Anthony McFarland Jr., Derek Watt
Adding a running back does not seem overly necessary unless Benny Snell Jr. wishes to return on a cheap deal to add special team snaps. Najee Harris is the starter and both he and Jaylen Warren should be able to get better with a revamped offensive line. Trying to figure out who will be the third back on the roster might seem murky currently, but it gets clearer the closer you look.
Anthony McFarland Jr. is still on the roster and had a great pre-season last year. He should finally be able to crack a roster spot after a couple of years of missing the cut. Derek Watt is a free agent, and it seems like he will likely either play for the Steelers at a reduced rate or will be out of work. That is not the worst group to have on your roster, especially with that duo at running back.
Completing the roster means adding a receiver and tight end
Receiver (5): Diontae Johnson, George Pickens, Calvin Austin III, Steven Simms, Nathaniel Dell (rookie)
For the most part, the top four names listed above are locks to make this roster heading into the later stage of the free agency process. Diontae Johnson and George Pickens make for a solid duo on offense, but the depth behind them is somewhat concerning. Miles Boykin will likely leave via free agency and that also leaves behind a giant hole on special teams.
Calvin Austin III will try to win the starting slot position in camp, but he has not proven anything in a stadium atmosphere to this point. Steven Simms is currently a free agent, but he will likely re-sign with Pittsburgh at some point and be the returner. Nathaniel Dell is the draft pick here as he has explosive play ability and a lot of production during his days at Houston.
Tight end (3): Pat Freiemuth, Connor Heyward, Zack Kuntz (rookie)
Pat Freiermuth has become one of the best tight ends in football and will make this team without question. The Steelers love him, and he should be able to continue his connection with Pickett this upcoming season. Connor Heyward had a surprisingly solid year during his rookie campaign. He should be able to handle a growing role heading into year two.
The Steelers need to figure out what they are going to do with the third opening at the position. It seems like they could target a tight end during the mid to late rounds of the upcoming draft. Ideally, they would re-sign Zach Gentry to a cheap deal, but that does not seem realistic right now.
Steelers complete their offensive line overhaul with this roster lineup
Offensive line (9): Dawand Jones (rookie), Dan Moore Jr., Isaac Seumalo, Nate Herbig, Kevin Dotson, Mason Cole, James Daniels, Chuks Okorafor, J.C. Hassenauer
The offensive line has been the talk of the town for the second offseason in a row. Omar Khan and company have been hard at work revamping this group for another time around the sun, and they hope for better results. They added Isaac Seumalo to stabilize the left guard spot and brought in a better-quality backup like Nate Herbig. Now the only focus will be trying to upgrade the left tackle spot in the draft, and it seems plausible.
Dawand Jones slides into the starting role, which allows Dan Moore Jr. to become the swing tackle. Improving the starting spot on the left slide allows for immediate boosts at the depth positions behind Jones and Chuks Okorafor. Mason Cole remains the starter at center, and both Kevin Dotson and J.C. Hassenauer fill out the backup roles on the interior of the trenches.
If Pittsburgh can find a way to leave the draft with a starting left tackle, this group could be night and day from last season. Protecting Pickett and allowing Harris to have an easier day at the office should be very important to this front office. To this point in the offseason, it seems like they understand this sentiment and are acting like so. This is a solid group that can cement a new age of offensive line play in the Steel City.
Defensive line (6): Cam Heyward, Larry Ogunjobi, DeMarvin Leal, Montravius Adams, Isaiahh Loudermilk, Keondre Coburn (rookie)
A lot of things have been accomplished already with the Steelers defensive line this offseason. Even though a lot has been done, there is still plenty of work left on the board. Cam Heyward returns and should be back to his normal dominant self for the upcoming season. DeMarvin Leal will hopefully have a great camp and show a jump from his rookie season to year two.
Re-signing Larry Ogunjobi was a huge deal for Khan and company as they needed someone to fill out the other end spot on the line. He hopefully returns with a better overall health aspect to his game in his second time around with the team. Isaiahh Loudermilk and Montravius Adams fill out some important depth roles in the trenches. Neither of them had a great 2022 season, but they will try and bounce back with lower expectations this time around.
In an ideal world, Adams and Loudermilk would have some quality competition pushing them for their jobs, but that does not seem too likely. Keondre Coburn is an interesting name that the Steelers picked up in the draft in this universe to become the starting nose tackle on the line. He should be able to plug rushing lanes and provide a small amount of pass-rushing ability in certain instances.
Steelers add a couple names to boost their linebackers on the roster
Outside linebacker (4): T.J. Watt, Alex Highsmith, Bud Dupree, Jamir Jones
Pittsburgh rolls with four outside linebackers on the roster yet again, which seems to become commonplace anymore. Both starters, T.J. Watt and Alex Highsmith are locks to make this club for likely the next handful of years at the least. Jamir Jones will battle for one of the final roster spots this preseason, but he makes the final cut in this instance.
Where will Bud Dupree land? That is the question that plenty of fans that root for the Steelers want to know. Plenty of those that cover the team have admitted that the organization is looking into this potential reunion, but a lot of the outcome will depend on Dupree's injury issues. If he is healthy and willing to accept a smaller role, then the black and gold would love to bring this player back as a depth outside linebacker.
Inside linebacker (5): Cole Holcomb, Elandon Roberts, Mark Robinson, Daiyan Henley (rookie), Tae Crowder
Another position that was almost completely revamped from last season is middle linebacker. Everyone is gone from last season, except for Mark Robinson. He will likely get a crack at a starting role in year two, but there will hopefully be better options available to start over him. Tae Crowder fills out the final spot on the roster as he will need to show a lot of promise on special teams to earn a helmet on gamedays.
Cole Holcomb will be one of the starters on defense as the other spot will likely be a competition in training camp. Elandon Roberts will battle Daiyan Henley in this instance for the starting spot next to Holcomb. Henley will win this battle as he has shown a better ability to be a coverage linebacker in college and should be able to translate that to this defense.
Secondary rolls out a new cornerback group and a identical safety group from last year
Cornerback (6): Patrick Peterson, Levi Wallace, Bryce Callahan, James Pierre, Arthur Maulet, Deonte Banks (rookie)
Cam Sutton is gone everyone; it is time to move on and accept that fact. Patrick Peterson is going to be one of the starting outside cornerbacks and the second will be up for grabs. Levi Wallace showed some promise as a starter on defense at different points this past season. Bryce Callahan was a veteran pickup in late free agency to add some starting experience in the slot corner role.
James Pierre adds some quality depth on the outside to fill out the depth, and Deonte Banks can challenge for the starting spot on day one on the opposite side of Peterson. Arthur Maulet returns and plays a very specific role in the slot for this group, which could give them some false beliefs that he could handle that role fully in 2023. This is a solid group with a ton of starting experience which should help a rookie like Banks along quickly.
Safety (5): Minkah Fitzpatrick, Terrell Edmunds, Damontae Kazee, Tre Norwood, Miles Killebrew
We end this 53-man roster prediction with the safety position as it could look exactly like last season. Terrell Edmunds is still a free agent upon writing this article, but a lot of outlets claim that he will likely re-sign with the Steelers. Minkah Fitzpatrick is a special player, and he will not be departing the black and gold anytime soon.
Damontae Kazee was a tremendous re-sign by Pittsburgh and he could challenge for a couple of roles in this club. Tre Norwood could challenge for the slot position in the secondary this year and should start taking a jump into starting territory before he overstays his welcome in the depth category. Miles Killebrew returns as a special teams ace and that will likely earn him plenty more paychecks in the NFL for many years to come.