Player: S Sebastian Castro
Stock Value: Up
Reasoning: The Steelers did recently sign safety Makari Paige after waiving cornerback Cory Trice Jr. due to a failed physical, so there is another body in the safety room. But the fact that the Steelers still have not signed Darnell Savage continues to keep a special teams role open for Sebastian Castro entering training camp, especially under new special teams coordinator Danny Crossman.
In a safety room featuring some big names, including DeShon Elliott, Jaquan Brisker and Jalen Ramsey, one piece that is consistently overlooked is Sebastian Castro. Not due to what he could provide defensively, but the role he could play for the Steelers on special teams.
With the Steelers losing former special teams captain Miles Killebrew in free agency to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, where he reunited with former Steelers special teams coordinator Danny Smith, Pittsburgh has an opening for another special teams ace at the safety position. That’s where Castro could carve out a role on the 53-man roster again.
Last season, Castro played 81 special teams snaps for the Steelers in the regular season and postseason, according to Pro Football Focus. He had three total special teams tackles and played on kickoff and kickoff return. That was on top of the 50 snaps on special teams he played in the preseason in all four phases.
The experience is there, which should give him the inside track for a 53-man roster spot. That could all change if the Steelers sign veteran safety Darnell Savage, as many expect. So far, though, there’s been no movement on that front, which bodes well for Castro.
Savage has played 364 career snaps on special teams, including a combined 38 last season in time with the Washington Commanders and Buffalo Bills. During his lone season with Mike McCarthy in Green Bay in 2019, Savage played 100 special teams snaps. So, he’s a familiar face with some trust from the coaching staff.
But as long as he’s not on the roster, Castro holds the role. That makes for an easy “stock up” for the former undrafted free agent out of Iowa. He’s had a full offseason in Pittsburgh for the second year in a row and should enter his second training camp in Latrobe in a much better spot.
That should help him play fast and free, make plays, and force his way onto the roster. If he doesn’t stick in Pittsburgh, he could land a job elsewhere, considering the Buccaneers thought so highly of him last season that they signed him off of Pittsburgh’s practice squad.
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