We are less than a week away before the Steelers report to Saint Vincent College in Latrobe, PA. It is a time that gets players ready for the upcoming season, but it is also a time of excitement for the fans in attendance. The world is healing in their eyes as football is finally back and starting to get closer to the games that count.
Training camp is not all fun and games as those participating in the practices will work hard to earn jobs on the final 53-man roster. There will be plenty of speculations about which players earn starting and backup roles on the upcoming team before the pre-season concludes. It should be a news filled month as the black and gold get ready for their 2023 campaign.
Specialists have some competition but the same starters keep their jobs
Specialists (3): Chris Boswell (K), Pressley Harvin III (P), Christian Kuntz (LS)
Nothing changes here right now, but there are some potential options on the current 90-man roster that could influence change. Chris Boswell seems to have the safest job out of the three specialists returning from last year. He has little competition, and his contract makes him almost unchangeable. Unless he does terribly in the pre-season, he will keep his job.
Pressley Harvin III and the competition for the starting punter job is where things could get interesting. Braden Mann will challenge him, but the Steelers will likely stick with Harvin because they trust his chemistry with the current guys. He will remain on a short leash. Christian Kuntz makes it back on the roster, but he could be a surprise cut if he loses his competition to Rex Sunahara.
The Steelers stay the same and a undrafted rookie makes the club
Quarterback (3): Kenny Pickett, Mitch Trubisky, Mason Rudolph
Kenny Pickett is going into a big year for him as he needs to show strides in his progression as a quarterback. He has shown some positives throughout his starts to this point, but he has a long way to go before anyone can consider him a top ten signal caller in the league. The backups behind him are solid options in case Pickett would go down with an injury.
Mitch Trubisky may not be the best starter that Pittsburgh has seen at the quarterback position, but he is reliable. The offense was stale when he was lined up behind the center, but he reduced turnovers and kept them in games. Mason Rudolph is a quality third option that has starting experience and could be a second stringer on most teams.
Running back/Fullback (4): Najee Harris, Jaylen Warren, Alfonzo Graham, Connor Heyward
Running back has one opening on the roster and it seems like it will be Anthony McFarland's job to lose. Alfonzo Graham might be his toughest competition heading into training camp and he has been making waves. Both minicamps have created a surge to a potential roster opening for the undrafted free agent out of Morgan State.
Najee Harris and Jaylen Warren will get most of the carries unless an injury occurs. Connor Heyward will be lining up all over the field on offense and special teams, so don't be shocked if he plays at different areas beyond full back. He will get the main job there, but it could see a revolving door of players at that spot depending on what the play call is.
An XFL standout finds a way to stick on the Steelers 53-man roster
Wide receiver (6): Diontae Johnson, George Pickens, Allen Robinson II, Calvin Austin III, Miles Boykin, Hakeem Butler
The starting three seem to be obvious as we approach the start of training camp. Diontae Johnson is the top guy still with George Pickens nipping at his heels in year two. Allen Robinson will get looks all over the field and should see a lot of snaps in the slot. Calvin Austin III solidifies himself as the top returner coming out of camp which leaves Gunner Olszewski off the club.
Miles Boykin and Hakeem Butler both making the final roster would be somewhat of a surprise. Both seem to be vying for the same spot on the club, but in this scenario, both showed too many quality things at receiver and special teams. The last spot or two at receiver will likely come down to Boykin, Olszewski, and Butler.
Tight end (3): Pat Freiermuth, Zach Gentry, Darnell Washington
There is star potential in Pat Freiermuth and he could reach that this year if he makes that leap. He has shown glimpses of the plays that he can make at a high level, but he still needs to find ways of getting more targets in his direction. This is a big year for Freiermuth and his potential of becoming one of the top tight ends in the NFL this season.
Don't forget about Zach Gentry with the new addition of Darnell Washington via the 2023 NFL draft. Gentry will likely get more snaps than Washington to start the year before the rookie starts to gain more experience as the season chugs along. Gentry is a reliable blocker and someone the team will hope to try and settle Washington in slowly with.
Depth at center and the starting tackle jobs will be the star of the show at camp
Offensive line (9): Dan Moore Jr., Broderick Jones, Isaac Seumalo, Mason Cole, James Daniels, Chuks Okorafor, Kevin Dotson, Nate Herbig, Ryan McCollum
Most will be watching closely regarding the starting tackle competition in camp, but there are other things to watch out for. The backup spots at tackle and across the interior of the offensive line could see a couple of different outcomes compared to years prior. There will be some shuffling across the trenches for Pittsburgh and that should be a good thing.
All eyes will be on the left tackle battle between Dan Moore Jr. and Broderick Jones as soon as practices start. Jones will get his fair share of snaps against the first team as the pre-season rolls on, but Moore will likely get the start. Most fans will hate the idea of Moore staying at left tackle to start the year, but the Steelers probably don't want Jones to have his first start against Nick Bosa.
If Jones can find a way to take Moore's job on the left side, it seems like Moore could challenge Chuks Okorafor for his starting spot on the right side. That would be an interesting development to watch play out. Finding answers at key depth spots could become an issue depending on how the current roster is constructed.
Backup at center will come between Kendrick Green and Ryan McCollum for now, but it seems like a position that could see an addition once teams start making cuts. Unless Nate Herbig or Kevin Dotson show some newly founded position flexibility, the backup behind Mason Cole still needs to be found. Center is an interesting position that still needs some help.
Keep an eye on the depth for the Steelers in the defensive trenches
Defensive line (6): Cam Heyward, Larry Ogunjobi, Keeanu Benton, DeMarvin Leal, Breiden Fehoko, Armon Watts
When it comes to the two starters at defensive tackle, things seem to be set in stone unless an injury occurs. Cam Heyward will hopefully continue his reign against father time and Larry Ogunjobi should be able to play better with a new bill of health. The Steelers have a better group along the trenches for their defense that has quality starters and depth pieces.
Keeanu Benton is someone that could be considered an early favorite for camp darling of the upcoming pre-season. He should get the job at the nose tackle role and carve himself a spot as a sub for Heyward and Ogunjobi in certain situations. DeMarvin Leal will be another interesting piece as he showed flashes last year, but everyone wants to know where he will line up.
There will be a battle for likely two remaining spots on the defensive line after the top four seem to be locks to make the club. Isaiahh Loudermilk, Breiden Fehoko, Montravius Adams, and Armon Watts seem to all be vying for two spots. Loudermilk seems to be in the worst position to make the club, but he could show some signs of progress to make the team.
Going against the grain here as the Steelers decide to go with some fresh faces in depth roles on the defensive line. Fehoko makes the club over Adams and Watts does enough to win the job over Loudermilk. It should be a competitive part of camp, but Watts can play both nose and defensive tackle and Fehoko was a free agent signing that is a solid run stuffer.
There could be help on the way to help boost the inside linebacker position
Outside linebacker (4): T.J. Watt, Alex Highsmith, Markus Golden, Nick Herbig
We reach another position here that seems blatantly obvious here as all four will make the club. Normally the Steelers only keep four players, but they could keep five depending on how others behind the top four perform at training camp. T.J. Watt and Alex Highsmith are one of the top duos in the NFL and will continue that this season.
Markus Golden is a solid veteran to fill out the third edge rusher role on this team. Nick Herbig will have some learning curves in the NFL, but he is a nice fourth piece at the position. Names like Quincy Roche and David Perales could be guys that impress enough to give this roster construction enough pause to keep one of them if they show enough.
Inside linebacker (5): Cole Holcomb, Elandon Roberts, Mark Robinson, Tanner Muse, Nick Kwiatkoski
It would make a lot of sense for the black and gold to look at outside options for potential upgrades before the regular season begins. They can probably get by with this group, but unless Mark Robinson has a breakout year, there is a lot left to be desired from this group. The Steelers seem to be taking the quantity over quality approach at this position and that is why they keep five here.
Each player has a different range of starting experience in the NFL, and others have shown quality snaps on special teams. Cole Holcomb will be the top starter with Elandon Roberts likely getting the extra snaps. Expect Robinson to have a growing role as the season moves on. The dark horse is Tanner Muse's potential as a cover linebacker on this defense.
Position flexibility allows the Steelers to make a shocking decision
Cornerback (5): Patrick Peterson, Joey Porter Jr., Levi Wallace, James Pierre, Cory Trice Jr.
Patrick Peterson holds all the cards when it comes to his potential at becoming a solid slot cornerback or not. It would make life a lot easier on this defense if he can successfully make that transition. Joey Porter Jr. will likely start on the outside with Levi Wallace being the other guy. That leaves James Pierre as an experienced backup that is a proven special teams player.
Perhaps the most shocking development here is that Chandon Sullivan failed to make the club. In this scenario, Cory Trice rode his momentum from offseason workouts and was too good to let go. Another situation that played out was the safeties and their ability to show that they can effectively play in the slot, which made Sullivan on the outside looking in.
Safety (5): Minkah Fitzpatrick, Keanu Neal, Damontae Kazee, Miles Killebrew, Tre Norwood
It would benefit the black and gold greatly if one or a couple of safeties can show that they can play in the slot or at least as a depth piece in the slot. Tre Norwood and Damontae Kazee would be potential options to pull this off. They did in this scenario, and it also allows for another special team player to return with Norwood having experience there.
Minkah Fitzpatrick and Keanu Neal are the starters at safety, even though you would like to see a challenger emerge for Neal's spot. Miles Killebrew sticks around as a savvy veteran special teams player that has been elected captain for this team in the past. Safety could lose a spot in the final 53-man roster to cornerback, but they win in this scenario because of the quality snaps some of them showed in the slot.