The Pittsburgh Steelers are not a team that prioritizes spending lots of guaranteed money on undrafted free agents. This is something they rarely did under the direction of former general manager, Kevin Colbert, and we have not seen them go hard after priority free agents since Omar Khan took over.
Because of this, there's a very slim chance that multiple undrafted rookies make the Steelers final roster in 2024. But it's not impossible.
There are a few UDFAs who find themselves in an advantageous situation, and if they prove themselves, they could join the low percentage of undrafted rookies who defy the odds and land on NFL rosters in their first season. Here are three Steelers undrafted rookies with the best chance of making the team.
1. Beanie Bishop, CB
Beanie Bishop can be thankful that he landed in a great situation in Pittsburgh. Despite having a glaring need at the slot cornerback position, Khan didn't add a notable name in free agency and the Steelers only drafted one boundary CB late in the draft (Ryan Watts).
Bishop doesn't have a cakewalk to a roster spot. The Steelers recently signed veteran Anthony Averett, while Josiah Scott saw first-team reps at slot cornerback early at Steelers OTAs. Still, Bishop has been given a fighting chance of cracking the roster with a great situation. Now it's up to the talent to prove itself this summer.
2. John Rhys Plumlee, QB/WR
After Bishop, every other Steelers undrafted rookie is a long shot to make the team, but we can't rule out John Rhys Plumlee as having a chance to do so. It's been rumored that the former Ole Miss and UCF quarterback could make the switch to wide receiver in the NFL, but that's not guaranteed to be the case.
If Plumlee sticks at quarterback, his only competition for the QB3 job is veteran Kyle Allen. He's not expected to emerge victorious, but we still have all of Steelers training camp ahead of us to see what he can do. If the UDFA can find another way to contribute with his impressive athletic traits, that will only help his chances of making the Steelers roster in 2024.
3. Jacoby Windmon, LB
In theory, making the Steelers roster as an undrafted rookie at the off-ball linebacker position seems nearly impossible. The team added Patrick Queen and Payton Wilson to a group that already included Elandon Roberts and Cole Holcomb. But the path for Jacoby Windmon to make the roster is more likely than it appears.
The Steelers will roll with five off-ball linebackers on their roster. This means that the remaining spot could be up for grabs. This role has been claimed by Mark Robinson over the past two seasons, and Robinson has an advantage with plenty of special teams snaps already under his belt. However, Windmon could prove to be a better option with a strong training camp performance.
Windmon's odds of cracking the Steelers roster would skyrocket if an injury occurs that will keep a linebacker out of action early in the 2024 season or if Holcomb has to start the season on the PUP list.