Who SHOULD Steelers Keep on Their 53-Man Roster?
The Pittsburgh Steelers have until Tuesday afternoon to cut shrink their roster down to just 53 players. After an undefeated preseason, it’s increasingly clear that there some increasingly tough decisions to be made. With our own beat writer Alan Saunders already giving his prediction on who will make the cut, I took a different approach. Here are the 53 players who should make the Steelers roster.
Quarterbacks (3): Kenny Pickett, Mitch Trubisky, Mason Rudolph
Unlike last offseason when the Steelers held a competition for all three spots, the division of labor was much more clear this year. With a clear pecking order throughout and Tanner Morgan being fairly unimpressive in limited reps, this group is easy to narrow down. The only thing that would complicate matters would be on the off chance that the organization received some sort of enticing trade offer for Mason Rudolph. With that scenario seeming unlikely, it’s best to roll into the regular season with three guys with professional starting experience.
Running Backs (3): Najee Harris, Jaylen Warren, Anthony McFarland
Najee Harris is the unquestioned incumbent starter and Jaylen Warren his compliment. After several seasons of waiting, it appears that the game has officially slowed down for fourth-year back Anthony McFarland. He was head and shoulders better this preseason than anyone else vying for that final spot on the depth chart. Pittsburgh is looking to establish their dominance via the ground game and has to feel very comfortable with this stable of talented backs.
Wide Receivers (5): Diontae Johnson, George Pickens, Allen Robinson, Calvin Austin III, Miles Boykin
The top three were all set in stone coming into training camp. Johnson and Pickens have extreme potential to develop into one of the top duos in the AFC. Robinson will get most of the work in the slot, but Austin provided tons of splash seemingly every time he touched the rock in the preseason. Choosing to keep Boykin around revolves solely around his special teams ability on a unit that lost quite a few pieces from last years group.
Tight Ends (4): Pat Freiermuth, Darnell Washington, Connor Heyward, Zach Gentry
Freiermuth’s receiving ability, particularly when flexed out to the slot, mixed with Washington’s in-line blocking prowess could be a match made in football heaven. Pittsburgh allowed Heyward to try his hand at pretty much everything this preseason: tight end, slot receiver, full back and even some reps at tailback. Gentry is a tough call but if Washington were to get injured, he at least possesses the size to hold up at the Y-spot.
Offensive Tackle (4): Chukwuma Okorafor, Dan Moore Jr., Broderick Jones, Dylan Cook
It feels inevitable that the Steelers are going to start the regular season with Moore and Okorafor as their starting tackles. With Pittsburgh’s investment to trade up for Jones in the first round, it won’t be long before he sees playing time in some capacity. An undrafted free agent in 2022, Cook has come out of nowhere and put some impressive reps on film this preseason. He’s played multiple spots including both tackle positions which makes him worthy of sticking around for now.
Interior Offensive Lineman (5): Isaac Seumalo, Mason Cole, James Daniels, Nate Herbig, Spencer Anderson
The recent offseason additions of Seumalo and Daniels should give this Steelers offense a massive boost in the trenches. Cole returns as the pivot man and he’s a hugely important part to this group for multiple reasons. Nate Herbig’s arrival as the top backup meant that Kevin Dotson’s roller coaster ride in Pittsburgh has come to an end. Anderson’s calling card as a draft prospect was his versatility and he’s been shuffled all around the line so far, with the Steelers trying to figure out the best long-term home for him. The biggest question here is what the team will do at the backup center spot as that answer might not be on the roster currently.
Defensive Lineman (7): Cam Heyward, Keeanu Benton, Larry Ogunjobi, DeMarvin Leal, Montravius Adams, Armon Watts, Isaiahh Loudermilk
The defensive line group is arguably the deepest unit on the Steelers roster making for some interesting cut choices here. Heyward, Benton and Ogunjobi should be the starting trio handling most of the snaps moving forward. We will see what Leal brings the table in year two. Adams will likely be used to help take the full workload off Benton’s plate at nose tackle while Watts is simply too good of a pass rusher to leave off this roster. Loudermilk gets the final nod over Fehoko due to familiarity and the fact that he’s less game plan specific.
EDGE (4): Alex Highsmith, T.J. Watt, Markus Golden, Nick Herbig
The duo of Watt and Highsmith, both of whom are now locked up on long-term contracts for the foreseeable future, are the keys to this defense reaching its potential. The fact that Markus Golden is coming to town to be the Steelers fourth or fifth best pass rusher tells you everything that you need to know about how terrifying this front could be this fall. Nick Herbig did every single thing that you could have dreamed of in the preseason and while it’s going to be difficult to find him consistent snaps, he might force their hand.
Inside Linebackers (5): Cole Holcomb, Elandon Roberts, Kwon Alexander, Mark Robinson, Tanner Muse
Pittsburgh feels like they have three starting quality inside backers and it’s hard to disagree with that premise. All of these guys are different archetypes, but they represent a pretty obvious upgrade to what the team has deployed in past seasons. Mark Robinson is very intriguing as a developmental piece for the long term and should be utilized in certain run-heavy matchups where his physicality can be an asset. Keeping Tanner Muse on the roster is another special teams decision where his speed and athleticism is something that sets him apart from other roster bubble candidates.
Cornerbacks (6): Patrick Peterson, Levi Wallace, Joey Porter Jr., Chandon Sullivan, Elijah Riley, James Pierre
Peterson, a future hall of famer, is going to start outside in their base defense but could be moved around more in sub packages. Wallace is steady enough on the boundary. Porter’s development is crucial to the Steelers future and he’s going to get plenty of playing time as a rookie. Sullivan and Riley both flashed this preseason when attacking the line of scrimmage but whether or not either one of them can be relied upon in coverage is the biggest question mark on this defense. After a shaky preseason, Pierre could be a guy that Pittsburgh looks to upgrade over if a better option becomes available in the coming days.
Safety (4): Minkah Fitzpatrick, Damontae Kazee, Keanu Neal, Miles Killebrew
Fitzpatrick is a true game wrecker and rare “jack-of-all trades” star who stabilizes this unit on the back end. Kazee and Neal are listed as co-starters which is fitting as both players have wildly contrasting skill sets, but both play off each other quite nicely. The three safety sets that Teryl Austin implemented last season are part of what makes this defense unique. As he has throughout his career, Killebrew is sticking on this roster for special teams purposes only.
Specialists (3): Chris Boswell, Pressley Harvin III, Christian Kuntz
Boswell is looking to regain his old form after a down year in 2022. Harvin deserves credit for winning the punter job with ease, showing more consistency than in years past, but it remains to be seen whether that carries over to the regular season. Finally, Kuntz returns as the long snapper.
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