Everyone is waiting on pins and needles for 42-year-old quarterback Aaron Rodgers to make a decision one way or another regarding his 2026 season, helping shape the Pittsburgh Steelers’ offseason roster.
But over the next few days at the South Side facility at rookie minicamp, a group of 12 tryout players could signal the next roster moves the franchise makes ahead of the start of Organized Team Activities on May 18.
Of the 12 tryout players, three are punters and four linebackers. Both of those positions represent needs for the Steelers, at least based on depth and the outlook ahead of training camp.
Veteran Ryan Stonehouse is one of the three punters, joined by Penn State’s Gabriel Nwosu and Arkansas’ Devin Bale as rookies. Though the Steelers signed veteran Cameron Johnston in free agency, reuniting with the veteran who punted in one game in 2024 before being lost for the season and then losing his job in training camp in 2025 to Corliss Waitman, there is no other punter on the roster at this time.
Nwosu was already a known tryout player and brings some fanfare from Penn State, where he was a 300-pound punter with a cannon for a leg. Last season on 38 punts, Nwosu averaged 46.0 yards per punt and was also the Nittany Lions’ kickoff specialist during his tenure in Happy Valley.
With Bale, he punted the last two seasons at Arkansas after spending some time at Northern Colorado. Across two years with the Razorbacks, Bale averaged 45.4 yards per punt on 75 punts in the SEC. He has experience punting in big-time football games and is intriguing.
But the real name to watch here is Stonehouse, who previously spent time with the Tennessee Titans. He led the NFL in punting in 2022, earning second-team All-Pro honors. But an injury late in the 2023 season in which he suffered a torn ACL and MCL set him back.
He returned to punt in 2024 with the Titans and played well, averaging 50.6 yards per punt on 73 punts, but bizarrely wasn’t tendered as an RFA by the Titans. He landed in Miami early in 2025, but was waived before the end of training camp and was out of the NFL last season.
He’s the cousin of former Syracuse punter and current Houston Texans UDFA Jack Stonehouse. Based on his past success in the NFL, he could be a real addition to the Steelers. He could push — and probably beat out — Johnston in training camp, especially under new special teams coordinator Danny Crossman.
Punter might not be a flashy position to watch, and there’s not much you can glean from tryouts at the position, at least publicly. But if Stonehouse is healthy and checks out, it would not be a surprise to see the Steelers sign him.
At inside linebacker, the top five of Patrick Queen, Payton Wilson, Cole Holcomb, Malik Harrison and Carson Bruener is locked in. Depth is a real concern, though. The only other inside linebacker on the roster behind those five is UDFA Daylen Carnell, who is transitioning from safety in college at Missouri to linebacker.
Outside linebacker is pretty stacked with the likes of T.J. Watt, Alex Highsmith, Nick Herbig and Jack Sawyer as the top four, with Julius Welschof and KJ Henry as depth pieces.
Names like Brandon George, along with rookies Terrell Tilmon, Joseph Zelinsky and Jimari Butler have a chance to earn a roster spot. Zelinsky is an OLB having played edge at Eastern Michigan and Pittsburgh, as is Tilmon, who played EDGE and TE at Texas Tech.
Butler was a defensive end at LSU, recording four sacks last season after transferring from Nebraska, while George is an off-ball linebacker who was productive at Pittsburgh in college before spending the 2025 season with the Kansas City Chiefs.
Based on how many of the 12 tryout players fall into two positions with punter and linebacker, there is a good chance the Steelers sign a player at each position to round out the 90-man offseason roster, leaving one space for Rodgers whenever he makes his decision.
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