LATROPEB, Pennsylvania – The Steelers are not far from closing shop at the College of Saint Vincent and returning to the UPMC Rooney Sports Complex to put the finishing touches on another training camp.
Unless something drastic happens, the final 53-man roster won’t contain many big surprises. The Steelers arrived at camp with the majority of their 53-man roster already accounted for, and not much has changed over the past two weeks as they head into their first preseason game on Friday in Tampa Bay.
The Steelers don’t have to cut their 90-53 roster until August 29 at 4 p.m. ET. Until then, there’s little to decide, except for injury.
While Mike Tomlin tends to bring up the year Stefan Logan and Charlie Patch made the team trailing during a recent preseason game, those are the exceptions, not the rule.
Based on what we’ve seen and heard so far throughout Steelers camp, here’s what that team might look like against the 49ers on September 10.beginners in italics)
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crime (24)
Quarterback (3): Kenny Beckett, Mitch Trubisky, Mason Rudolph
Unlike last year, Pickett spent every first-team representative through the first two weeks training. This time last year, he was toiling as a No. 3 class. Trubisky quietly put up a solid performance, taking all of his second team reps. He looked sharp, so there would be no battle for the number 2 with Rudolph. Morgan’s lack of representatives confirms that Rudolph will make the team. Perhaps if a team came calling for Rudolph he could open the door for Morgan, but that’s questionable. Rudolph has experience and talent on the cheap. The Steelers will always have Hodges’ Duck on their mind when they think of their third quarterback.
Cuts: Tanner Morgan
running backwards (3): Naji Harris, Gaylene Warren, and Anthony McFarland Jr.
Harris and Warren are booked for the top two spots. It’s just a matter of how you divide the shots between the next two days of the game. McFarland seems to be more mature this year, so his “Mr. August title may not apply.” McFarland has done a lot to make this team apart from being a real tailspin. If he does not show that he can fill positions during an emergency, there is a limited place for him on the list. It’s possible the three youngsters on the roster don’t make the team, so McFarland will be or is looking at the waiver wire after final cuts.
Cuts: Greg Bell, Jon Lovett, Darius Haggans
Wide Receiver (5): Deontay Johnson, George Pickens, Alan Robinson II, Calvin Austin III, Miles Boykin
It all depends on what Austin can do on the special teams. It’s a certainty that Johnson, Pickens, Robinson, Austin and Boykin’s special teams will make the final cut. Where it gets cloudy if Austin, who is listed by veteran Gunner Olszewski as the top return specialist, gets stuck on special teams. That could force the Steelers to keep Olszewski. But his salary and limited offense value would make that difficult. The only other wide receiver who has performed well enough to get a good look is Cody White, but he could easily land a practice squad, so there may not be a need to keep him at first.
Cuts: Gunner Olshewski, Hakeem Butler, Cody White, Jordan BirdDan Chesina, Dez Fitzpatrick
narrow end (4): Pat Freermuth, Zack Gentry, Connor Hayward, Darnell Washington
All four are slam dunks, especially when you consider Heyward can play multiple positions and the plan was always to use Washington as a tight end to block. Gentry is still the best blocker within the unit, just don’t give up on that. His salary is meager ($1.23 million), so Washington will have to push him out the door. I do not expect that.
Cuts: Rodney Williams
Offensive line (9): Dan Moore Jr., Isaac Somalo, Mason Cole, James Daniels, Chukuma Okorafor, Broderick JonesKevin Dotson, Nate Herbig, Raven Clark
Depth and flexibility of placement are specific to this unit. All four tackles can play both sides, Herbig can play both point guard and quarterback, and Daniels can play pinch-hit quarterback. When you have a solid eight lineman like the Steelers, you keep them all. You could make the argument that Dotson is consumed by Herbig, but Seumalo has a history of injuries, so they should keep Dotson as well. If we talk about the initial list, then Clark is included in the top nine. I can see the Steelers holding him at first but coming out and scouring the free agency market for deep swing tackle. As for Kendrick Green, even if he finds a new development in his talents, that doesn’t mean he’ll make it to the first 53. The coaching staff will be like that.
Cuts: Kendrick Green Spencer AndersonDylan Cook, Ryan McCollum, and William Dunkel
Defense (26)
defense line (7): Cameron Hayward, Larry Ogunjubi, Keanu BentonDI Marvin Leal, Bryden Fyoko, Isaiah Loudermilk, Montravius Adams
The Steelers have a great mix of experience and youth along the defensive line. It was clear in the off-season that the front office wanted to create an influx of depth and talent into the position. Away from Heyward and Ogunjubi, the Steelers have committed assets in the draft over the past few years with Benton, Leal, and Loudermilk. Fehoko consolidated his position in the first two weeks. It’s just a matter of whether they feel comfortable moving on from Adams, who is versatile and experienced. Good defensive items are hard to find, so they’ll keep as many as they can.
Cuts: Armon Watts, Jonathan Marshall, Money Jones, James Nyamwaya
Outside back (4): TJ Watt, Alex Highsmith, Marcus Golden, Nick Herbig
When you have that kind of money invested in guys like Watt and Highsmith, you expect them to play a lot, and they will. What they are looking for is someone who can spell both or who can be used in an emergency. Golden provides a veteran who can fill in due to injury, and Herbig has one of the best camps of anyone on defense. It has been perfectly cut and dried in the outside back position.
Cuts: Quincy Roach David PeralesAnd Toby Ndukwe
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Inside the back (4): Ellandon Roberts, Cole Holcomb, Mark Robinson, Kwon Alexander
There isn’t much to see here either. Omar Khan has signed Kwon Alexander to camp for a week, which will likely result in a guy like Nick Kwiatkowski or Tanner Muse not making the cut. There is no doubt that Roberts, Holcombe, Robinson, and Alexander are sure bets. It’s whether or not they feel the need to stick with Kwiatkowski or Muse for special teams purposes. With Robinson and Alexander already being used on special teams, that likely won’t be needed.
Cuts: Nick Kwiatkowski, Tanner Moss, Chapelle Russell
Back Corner (6): Patrick Peterson, Levi Wallace, Joey Porter Jr., James Pierre, Elijah Riley, Chandon Sullivan
Corner positioning can be located in many different ways. Sure enough, the top four are Peterson, Wallace, Porter and Pierre. Riley has played well and can play multiple positions, and Sullivan is on the list at cornerback for the top slot. Coming in, it was difficult for both Sullivan and Riley to hit No. 53, but a season-ending injury to Corey Trace Jr. would allow both of them to make the initial cut.
Cuts: Duke Dawson, Luke Barco, Madre Harper, Chris Wilcox, Isaiah Dunn
Security (5): Minka Fitzpatrick, Damontay Kazee, Keanu Neal, Trey Norwood, Miles Killebrew
Kazee and Neal are listed as participating players, and Killebrew was the team’s captain last year. Besides Fitzpatrick, four things are certain. They’ve historically gone with five safeties, and Norwood’s ability to play all over the place puts him a bit ahead of Robinson, who had a good camp.
Others: Kenny Robinson, Trenton Thompson, Galen Elliott
Special Teams (3)
Kicker (1): Chris Boswell
Boswell missed eight field goal attempts and posted the second-worst field goal percentage (71.4%) of his career last year, and that was in just 12 games. The only other time he was worse was in 2018, putting his job at risk the following year. This will not happen this year.
Cuts: BT Potter
Panther (1): Presley Harvin III
Harvin was inconsistent, so Tomlin brought in another Ray Guy Award winner, Braden Mann, to create competition. The battle has been close for two weeks. This position will be won and lost during pre-season matches. For now, the edge should go to Harvin, but not much.
Cuts: Braden Man
long snapper (1): Christian Koontz
Koontz hasn’t had a bad crunch since taking over in 2021. He’s 29 and still making the league minimum, which is significant.
Cuts: Rex Sunahara
(Top photo of Kenny Pickett and Matt Canada: Charles LeClaire/USA Today)
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