This Steelers team might not look the same, offensively at least, as it did last year, but make no mistake, this is still a Mike Tomlin team, so the defense will be how this team succeeds. Sure, in the mid-2010s, there was the “Killer B's” era with Ben Roethlisberger, Le'Veon Bell, and Antonio Brown leading the offense. Still, most of Tomlin's teams, including his two Super Bowl teams from almost 15 years ago, have been built off defensive success.
The big change this offseason was in the quarterback room, as all three quarterbacks on the roster last season are gone. With two big additions, Russell Wilson and Justin Fields, the offense will look notably different from a year ago. Add the arrival of former Atlanta Falcons head coach Arthur Smith as the Offensive Coordinator, and the passing and running game will look remarkably different.
Pittsburgh Steelers Offense
Quarterbacks (3) - Russell Wilson, Justin Fields, Kyle Allen
Outside Looking In - John Rhys Plumlee
Wilson and Fields are battling in training camp for the starting spot, and both are guaranteed to make the roster, but there is an exciting battle for the third spot between veteran backup Allen and Plumlee, an undrafted rookie out of UCF. Plumlee was also selected third overall in the UFL Draft by the Arlington Renegades, but for now, he is focused on making the Steelers’ roster.
Allen has played for Carolina, Washington, Houston, and Buffalo in his career, and he has the experience to make the roster, but Plumlee was seen as a quarterback with pro upside at Ole Miss and UCF, so it will be interesting to see which makes the roster. The player who doesn't make the roster will likely end up on the practice squad, so they will still be with the Steelers week-in and week-out, but they will also be able to be claimed by other teams so that the decision will be an important one. Plumlee has taken some reps at wide receiver later in training camp, so it will be interesting to see if he can stick around in the NFL at either position.
I would bet on Allen to make the roster over Plumlee for my money, as his experience will outweigh Plumlee's upside.
Running Backs (3) - Najee Harris, Jaylen Warren, Cordarrelle Patterson
Outside Looking In - La’Mical Perine, Daijun Edwards, Jonathan Ward, Aaron Shampklin
Harris and Warren will continue to be part of a running back split for the Steelers, with Harris taking most short-yardage and obvious running situations. Meanwhile, Warren will be on the field for obvious passing downs and most outside runs. Patterson will likely be the third running back, and he will be likelier to take touches from Warren than Harris, as that is the role he fills best. Perine and Shampklin have looked decent in training camp so far, and Shampklin would be a good story if he could make the roster, having played at Harvard and never made an NFL roster.
Warren is the most dynamic of the three backs who are guaranteed to make the roster, so he will be the most likely to take over in the event of an injury to another player, but the team should look to roster a second bruising back after Harris (or at least keep one on the practice squad). All four of the bottom four backs have a chance to make the practice squad, but the most likely are Ward and Shampklin.
Wide Receivers (6) - Calvin Austin III, Van Jefferson, George Pickens, Roman Wilson, Scotty Miller, Quez Watkins
Outside Looking In - Tarik Black, Jacob Copeland, Dez Fitzpatrick, Jaray Jenkins, Duece Watts
Austin, Jefferson, Pickens, and Wilson are locks to make the roster, so it is a question of who will make it out of the other seven. The Steelers usually like to roster six receivers, and out of those seven receivers, Miller and Watkins have been easily the best throughout their careers.
I am sure that the Steelers would like to have one of their young receivers make the team, but if they are looking to have the six best receivers on the team, it would be those six. Austin doubles as the primary kick and punt returner. Still, he will likely be usurped in that position by Patterson, who is arguably the best returner in NFL history (sorry, Devin Hester).
It has also become increasingly more likely that the Steelers will become the new home of current 49ers’ receiver Brandon Aiyuk, but at the time of writing, the trade has not gone through yet. As long as the team doesn't trade away one of their receivers (Pickens has been mentioned as something the 49ers could want in return), that would likely push Watkins out of the equation, and it could even push Miller to the practice squad if the team decides to go with five receivers.
Tight Ends/Fullbacks (4) - Pat Freiermuth, Darnell Washington, Connor Heyward, MyCole Pruitt
Outside Looking In - Matt Sokol, Rodney Williams, Jack Colletto
Freiermuth, Washington, and Heyward are guaranteed to make the team, so the final spot will likely come down to one of Pruitt, Sokol, and Williams. Pruitt became a bit of a meme last year in Atlanta, where he would be on the field in place of Kyle Pitts and Jonnu Smith a significant amount.
New offensive coordinator Arthur Smith has had Pruitt on his roster, either as the tight ends coach, offensive coordinator, or head coach, in five of the last six seasons, and he likes Pruitt as a player. If Smith gets his way, Pruitt will make the roster, but he will likely only be used as a blocker instead of having around 10-20 targets per year. Williams was on the team last year, and the last spot seems to be between those two (with Sokol on the outside looking in), but Pruitt will likely be Smith's pick.
Colletto is in the conversation to make the team as the primary fullback, but given Heyward's versatility, he likely won't make the final roster.
Offensive Tackles (3) - Troy Fautanu, Broderick Jones, Dan Moore Jr.
Outside Looking In - Tyler Beach, Dylan Cook, Devery Hamilton, Anderson Hardy
There's not much to talk about as far as tackles go. Fautanu and Jones will likely be the starting tackles, and the Steelers usually like to carry three tackles into the season, meaning Moore is the third. Luckily, the Moore experiment appears to be over with (though he is still fighting with Jones for the left tackle spot), but he still could serve as a decent emergency option.
Beach and Cook are the two most likely to make the practice squad. Hardy has looked bad in camp, and Hamilton hasn't had much said about him, which could be good or bad, depending on which way you look at it. My money would be on Beach, but regardless, none of the four will make the team.
Interior Offensive Linemen (5) - Zach Frazier, James Daniels, Nate Herbig, Isaac Seumalo, Mason McCormick
Outside - Spencer Anderson, TyKeem Doss, Joey Fisher, Ryan McCollum
Daniels and Seumalo are likely the starting guards, with Frazier being the likely starting center as a rookie and Herbig being the utility backup, with some reps each game to give different players a break. Anderson appeared in eight games last season, and McCormick has had an impressive camp, so one of those two will likely be the fifth interior lineman (although there is a chance that the team only carries four interior linemen and adds a fourth tackle).
If the team does carry a fifth interior lineman, my bet would be on McCormick. He has taken one-on-one reps against Cameron Heyward and succeeded, and the fact that he is even taking reps against Heyward means that the team has some level of expectation of him. Anderson and McCormick will likely make the practice squad if they don't make the 53-man roster, but Doss, Fisher, and McCollum likely don't have a place with the team come September.
Pittsburgh Steelers Defense
Interior Defensive Line (6) - Cameron Heyward, Keeanu Benton, Larry Ogunjobi, Dean Lowry, Montravius Adams, Isaiahh Loudermilk
Outside Looking In - DeMarvin Leal, Logan Lee, Marquiss Spencer, Willington Previlon, Jacob Slade
IR - Breiden Fehoko
Heyward, Benton, Ogunjobi, and Lowry are locks to make this team, and Adams has been making a statement in training camp, so he will likely make the team. That brings the fight for the final spot on the defensive line to the Loudermilk, Leal, and Lee group.
I feel that Lee should make the team, given his versatility (he has lined up at defensive end, nose tackle, and long snapper and has been on the special teams groups for field goal protection, kick returns, and kick and punt coverage. However, I believe that the Steelers will go with Loudermilk, who they know from having him on the team in recent seasons, and Leal and Lee will end up on the practice squad.
Fehoko is currently injured, but when he returns, there is no guarantee he will make the team. However, he would have a chance to take the final spot, so he gets mentioned as a player who will not count toward the 53-man roster until he is activated.
Edge Rushers (4) - T.J. Watt, Alex Highsmith, Nick Herbig, Kyron Johnson
Outside Looking In - Jeremiah Moon, Julius Welschof
Watt and Highsmith will be the obvious starters on the edge, with Nick Herbig coming in in select packages as another pass rusher and occasionally giving one of the starters a break. Johnson has looked extremely good in camp, as has Moon, but Johnson will likely get the edge due to his strength.
Like Highsmith and Herbig, Moon likes to use the spin move to get around blockers, whereas Johnson varies his pass-rush moves, which is what the Steelers would likely be looking for out of their final edge rusher. It would be a good story for Welschof, a 27-year-old undrafted rookie from Germany, to make the roster, but I don't see it happening.
Linebackers (5) - Patrick Queen, Elandon Roberts, Payton Wilson, Jacoby Windmon, Tyler Matakevich
Outside Looking In - Mark Robinson, Luquay Washington
PUP - Cole Holcomb
Holcomb is still recovering from his ACL injury last November, and he will not be able to return at the beginning of the season. Once healthy, he should slot into the second linebacker spot next to the newly acquired Queen. Roberts should fill that role at the start of the season, and Wilson has had an extremely good training camp, so he is a shoo-in to make the team, which leaves the final two spots between three players.
Robinson, Windmon, and Matakevich have been battling for the final two spots throughout the preseason, and as of now, Windmon and Matakevich have placed themselves in line to make the team. Washington was recently signed after being released by the Chiefs so he could impress and push himself into the conversation, but as of now, he and Robinson appear to be the odd ones out.
Cornerbacks (6) - Joey Porter Jr., Donte Jackson, Cory Trice Jr., Grayland Arnold, Darius Rush, Anthony Averett
Outside Looking In - Beanie Bishop Jr., Zyon Gilbert, Thomas Graham Jr., Kyler McMichael
Suspended - Cameron Sutton
The Steelers will look to roster six cornerbacks to start the season, and that doesn't include Sutton, a former Steeler who is returning after one season in Detroit, as he has been suspended for the first eight games of the season. Porter and Jackson will be the top two backs, and Trice has put in great performances in camp so that he will make the roster as the third corner. That leaves four players fighting for three spots on the 53-man roster (which will be two once Sutton comes back): Arnold, Rush, Averett, and Bishop.
Arnold, Rush, and Averett are my picks to make the lineup, given what they have done in the preseason, but no matter who misses out on the main roster, they will be given a spot on the practice squad. Bishop seems like the odd man out at the moment, and it looks like the final place is coming down to Bishop and Averett, but any of those four players could miss out on the final roster.
Safeties (4) - Minkah Fitzpatrick, Damontae Kazee, DeShon Elliott, Ryan Watts
Outside Looking In - Jalen Elliott
Fitzpatrick is arguably the best safety in the league, so his presence on the roster doesn’t need to be explained. Kazee and DeShon Elliott seem locked to make the roster, as well, bringing the final spot down to Watts and Jalen Elliott.
Watts is a rookie and has had a significant presence in training camp so far, so he should be the pick. There is also the chance that Miles Killebrew plays at safety a decent amount, as that is his official position, but he is more of a special teams threat. Regardless, there is no guarantee that the Steelers will bring Watts or Elliott onto the main roster, but the odds seem good that at least one of the two will.
Pittsburgh Steelers Special Teams
Specialist (3) - Cameron Johnston, Chris Boswell, Christian Kuntz
Outside Looking In - Matthew Wright
Not much to say in terms of punter or long snapper. Johnston is the only punter on the roster, and he has been good in training camp, while Kuntz is the only long-snapper. Both seem reasonable enough that they won't have anyone coming in to take their roster spots.
That leaves the kicker battle between Boswell and Wright, and there is little reason to expect that Wright will make the final roster. Wright will likely remain on the practice squad throughout the season, but Boswell is arguably a top-10 kicker in the league, so his status as the Steelers’ kicker won't be challenged for a while.
Core Special Teamer (1) - Miles Killebrew
Now that Patriots legend Matthew Slater has retired, Killebrew is arguably the best gunner in the league, and there is no reason for the Steelers to look to move on from him. The interesting question will be whether he can gain some playing time on defense, especially in the secondary, potentially as a third safety in three-deep sets or as a nickel playing as an interior defensive back responsible for stopping the run.
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