Player: LB Carson Bruener
Stock Value: Up
Reasoning: The Steelers haven’t added an inside linebacker to the room this offseason. That speaks to their confidence in the group, and it means Bruener could get more time on defense this season. Additionally, with so much turnover on special teams, Bruener will be one of the leaders of that group.
Despite a strong crop of inside linebackers in the draft, the Steelers didn’t address the position and also didn’t sign a free agent at inside linebacker. After a strong season on special teams as a rookie, Bruener is essentially a lock for the roster now. The Steelers saw several key special teams contributors leave this offseason, including Connor Heyward, James Pierre, and Miles Killebrew.
While the team did a good job replenishing some special teams depth in the draft, Bruener is now going to be thrust into a leadership role in the room. It’s a good spot for him to continue cutting his teeth, and it’s not all that far-fetched to assume that Bruener could have a bigger role on defense sooner rather than later.
Patrick Queen has just one year left on his contract, as does Malik Harrison. The Steelers can continue adding to the inside linebacker room next offseason, but Bruener will have a leg up due to his continuity. If he continues to excel on special teams, his role should grow.
At this point, if the Steelers do add to the room, it seems like Harrison’s job would be more in jeopardy than Bruener’s. For a seventh-round draft pick last season, Bruener has carved out a nice role, doing his job as a rookie. If that continues, he could be a core member of the special teams unit and a potential defensive contributor for years to come. This offseason certainly speaks to the team’s confidence in Bruener’s abilities, even with a new coaching staff.
________________________________________________________________________________________________
With the 2025 season behind us and the new league year underway, we still have stock to take. Already promisinga year of change, they are shaking things up. That is unavoidable, of course, when you gut the coaching staff. Mike Tomlin’s resignation will fundamentally change this football team, including the playoffs on the roster.
After a long season, we have finally seen that this Steelers team is playoff-bound. But they also showed that their progress was actually minimal,since they made it no further. Two years in a row, with two different quarterbacks, they went 10-7 and lost in the Wild Card Round. The only differences are they ended the season on a higher note and won the division. But it didn’t help.
Recommended for you