Several Steelers Depot readers discuss the Black and Gold every Monday Night on the Clubhouse app. This past Monday, we made early predictions on what the Steelers’ initial 53-man roster will be, based on the current roster.
There are already changes due to Pittsburgh’s most recent transactions in the past few weeks. And there will be more once training camp starts. We’ll follow up with a revised roster after camp begins.
Here is the offense we produced this past Monday:
Offense (25)
Quarterbacks (3)
– Aaron Rodgers
– Will Howard
– Drew Allar (Third-round rookie)
Practice Squad – Mason Rudolph (trade candidate)
We believe Mike McCarthy will take three quarterbacks into the regular season. We anticipate trading Mason Rudolph during camp. We included Aaron Rodgers since Omar Khan applied the quirky free-agent tender. Everything changes if Rodgers decides not to sign unless injuries necessitate keeping Rudolph for another season.
Running Backs (4)
– Jaylen Warren
– Rico Dowdle
– Kaleb Johnson
– Eli Heidenreich RB/WR
Practice Squad – Lew Nichols, Travis Homer (ST)
The first two backs are easy to select. But we debated whether Kaleb Johnson would keep a roster spot. We kept him since he is on his rookie contract and will get a chance to prove himself in a new offensive scheme. Kaleb will need to assert himself to make up for a lackluster rookie year. Heidenreich was kept over Travis Homer, whom we placed on the practice squad with Lew Nichols for depth. Max Hurleman is the odd man out.
Tight Ends/Fullbacks (3)
– Pat Freiermuth
– Darnell Washington
– Riley Nowakowski – FB
Practice Squad – JJ Galbreath, Lake McRee
We combine tight ends and fullbacks. Fullback seems to be closer to tight ends due to H-backs and players playing dual roles. We wanted to keep Lake McRee on the roster but ended up moving him to the practice squad to make roster space. We felt Riley Nowakowski’s blocking skills and ability to line up at fullback were a good complement to Freiermuth and Washington. We like Galbreath and McRee, both being early elevation candidates. 2026 UDFA Metayer and recently signed Jaheim Bell released.
Wide Receivers (6)
– DK Metcalf
– Michael Pittman Jr.
– Roman Wilson
– Germie Bernard (second-round rookie)
– Ben Skowronek
– Kaden Wetjen (KR/PR)
Practice Squad – AT Perry, Brandon Johnson
We first talked about how many receivers to keep – five or six? We went with six since the Steelers drafted two. Metcalf and Pittman lock in as starters. Germie Bernard, the third receiver, and Wetjen, the returner, are two more. Skowronek stays for his special teams skills. We considered dropping Roman Wilson but felt he had a chance with a new coaching staff. A last opportunity for Wilson to maximize his potential. We felt the group was stronger but still thin in terms of receiving talent. Recently signed Brandon Johnson and AT Perry made the practice squad, leaving Cole Burgess and Brandon Smith out in the cold.
Offensive Line (9)
Interior
– Zach Frazier
– Brock Hoffman
– Mason McCormick
– Gennings Dunker
– Spencer Anderson
Tackles
– Troy Fautanu
– Max Iheanachor
– Dylan Cook
– Broderick Jones
Practice Squad –Ryan McCollum, Jack Driscoll
We wanted to keep 10 offensive linemen, but other position needs kept us at nine. The first three tackles are easy. Fautanu, Cook, and Iheanachor. We’re concerned about Broderick Jones injury, but without more information, we kept him as a fourth. We kept Broderick Jones active for now but will move him (and add Jack Driscoll) to the 53 if Jones starts on PUP, per common expectations. With the interior linemen, the main discussion was whether to keep McCollum as a backup center. But we went with Hoffman, who we felt had greater upside as a guard and could fill in at center if needed. We kept McCollum and OT Jack Driscoll on the practice squad. We considered Doug Nester or Steven Jones but couldn’t find room.
Defense (25)
Here is the defense we produced:
Defensive Line (7)
– Yahya Black
– Cam Heyward
– Derrick Harmon
– Keeanu Benton
– Sebastian Joseph-Day
– Esezi Otomewo
– Gabriel Rubio
Practice Squad – Logan Lee, Kevin Jobity Jr.
Another numbers debate. Keep six, seven, or eight linemen? Stabilizing the run defense and making room kept us at seven. The first four are obvious: Heyward, Harmon, Black, and Benton. Otomewo showed some flashes last season, and Joseph-Day signed this year. Rubio’s injury history concerned us. But we liked his run-stuffing ability. So, he beats out Logan Lee, who drops onto the practice squad with UDFA Kevin Jobity Jr.
Linebackers (9)
Outside Linebackers/Edge
– T.J. Watt
– Alex Highsmith
– Nick Herbig
– Jack Sawyer
Inside Linebackers
– Patrick Queen
– Payton Wilson
– Malik Harrison
– Cole Holcomb
– Carson Bruener
Practice Squad – Julius Welschof (OLB), Daylen Carnell (2026 UDFA)
The Steelers have only one designated LB on their roster, without designating inside or outside. Outside linebacker is pretty easy. Same four as last year. And the same five inside with Holcomb looking fully recovered. The Steelers did not make much effort in strengthening this group in the draft or free agency. Welschof is a freebie to hold on the practice squad.
We chose UDFA Carnell over free agent KJ Henry for the final practice squad spot. There may be more changes to this group before training camp. But we worked with the players on the current roster.
Secondary (9)
Cornerbacks (6)
– Joey Porter Jr.
– Jalen Ramsey
– Brandin Echols
– Jamel Dean
– Asante Samuel Jr.
– Daylen Everette
Safety (3)
– Jaquan Brisker
– DeShon Elliott
– Robert Spears-Jennings (Seventh-round rookie)
Practice Squad – Sebastian Castro, Cory Trice Jr., Donte Kent (PR), D’Shawn Jamison,
Omar Khan has tinkered with the secondary quite a bit. Another group we were hoping to keep more of, but limit ourselves to nine. We only kept three safeties, though Ramsey can play corner and safety. Knowing that, we kept Brisker, Elliott, and Spears-Jennings. At CB, we have Porter, Ramsey, Echols, Dean, and Samuel. Then rookie Everette in the sixth spot. But we kept five on the practice squad. The team seems to go through a lot of defensive backs and wants strong depth here. We kept Castro, Trice, and Kent, who have had injuries, but a new coordinator gives them a reprieve. Then Jamison and Hardy for the last two spots on the practice squad.
Daequan Hardy was on the practice squad, but he’s now on injured reserve. Scratch that. Jack Henderson, Devan Boykin, or Doneiko Slaughter may get a chance.
Specialists (3)
– Chris Boswell (K)
– Cameron Johnston (P)
– Christian Kuntz (LS)
Practice squad – None
Boswell and Kuntz are locks for the roster. Cameron Johnston is the only punter on the roster. But keep an eye on Cal Adomitis at long snapper. He’s younger than Kuntz and might be on speed dial if Kuntz falters at all. Since there will be a new punter this year, maybe it’s time to switch the snapper and holder combination for Boswell.
Conclusion
Our initial 53 has 25 offense/25 defense and 3 specialists. We made room for all 10 draft picks. On the practice squad, we went with eight on offense and nine on defense.
Rebuilding is not in the Pittsburgh Steelers’ vocabulary. But we have 14 players who were not on Pittsburgh’s 2025 roster.
The current 91-man roster is youthful. None of the 15 offensive linemen is over 30. Same for the running back, tight end, and wide receiver rooms. Only one defensive back and one linebacker over 30. All the tight ends are under 30. Until Aaron Rodgers re-signs, Cam Heyward is the grandpa on the roster. It seems like an intentional move to get younger and perhaps more aggressive.
Omar Khan has been a busy man. There will likely be more transactions between now and the start of training camp. We’ll redo predictions just after camp starts and make our final prediction before the final cutdowns game.
Did we miss any players on the current 91-man roster we should have included on the 53? Let us know.
Your Song Selection
I always like to include a bit of music. Hoping this Draft class soars. Here is “Fly Like an Eagle” performed by the Steve Miller Band.
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