Player: OL Ryan McCollum
Stock Value: Down
Reasoning: Despite being a steady backup center the past two seasons, the Steelers have loaded up on offensive line additions that threaten to squeeze McCollum out of a roster spot. Unless injuries occur, he could find himself back on the practice squad to begin the 2026 season or even on a new team.
In late March, we noted Ryan McCollum’s stock was up after he re-signed with the team. That was before the team went out and drafted Max Iheanachor and Gennings Dunker. Those two aren’t centers, but they’re locks to make the roster. No Steeler drafted in the first three rounds has failed to make the 53 for non-injury reasons since 1980.
That creates a numbers crunch for McCollum. Assume Pittsburgh carries its usual nine offensive linemen. Set to make it are Troy Fautanu, Zach Frazier, Mason McCormick, Spencer Anderson, Dylan Cook, Brock Hoffman, Iheanachor and Dunker. Off the bat, that’s eight. If Broderick Jones is healthy, there’s a ninth.
McCollum’s path has become narrow. Hoffman is a capable backup center, a better and more versatile player than McCollum.
Pittsburgh even added Greg Crippen out of rookie minicamp, exclusively a center throughout his Michigan career. He might not get reps over McCollum in camp, but he’s another player to compete against and put the squeeze on McCollum’s role and roster spot. Roster construction is partially a numbers game, and the math isn’t being kind to him.
Claimed off waivers during training camp in 2022, McCollum clung onto Pittsburgh’s practice squad for the first two years. It took until 2024 for him to secure his place on the 53-man roster. Now, he looks increasingly likely to return to the practice squad to begin the 2026 season. That is, if he sticks to the team at all. Under a new coaching staff, it’s possible McCollum is released outright and has to find a new home entirely.
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.
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