Player: TE JJ Galbreath
Stock Value: Down
Reasoning: With the signing of veteran TE Robert Tonyan, JJ Galbreath’s path to employment with Pittsburgh just got a lot harder. Although Tonyan is by no means guaranteed a roster spot, he clearly has a leg up. And he already knows Aaron Rodgers well, even if he hadn’t previously worked with Mike McCarthy. Or not much, anyway. The Packers fired McCarthy in 2018 during Tonyan’s first full season with the team.
There was a glimmer of light for JJ Galbreath when the Steelers released Jonnu Smith. Then they let Connor Heyward go in free agency, and suddenly there was a real opportunity. He was basically the only other tight end on the roster, behind just Pat Freiermuth and Darnell Washington.
Now, though, he’s looking up ahead of him and seeing a rookie fifth-round pick and an experienced veteran. None of the three is guaranteed a roster spot, but Galbreath is clearly lowest on the pecking order. As a fifth-round pick and likely special teamer, Riley Nowakowski feels fairly safe to make the team. Robert Tonyan has to earn his place, but he’s been down this road before and has been relatively consistently employed during this decade.
JJ Galbreath has yet to make his first 53-man roster, a former college free agent. He has spent time on the Steelers’ practice squad, and they do seem to like something about him. But he has to take that proverbial next step, and now he faces more obstacles. Not as bad as last year with Heyward and Smith here, but the room is still crowded.
But this is a JJ Galbreath problem, not a Steelers problem. If he’s not on the 53-man roster, that’s because Pittsburgh found better options. By and large, Galbreath doesn’t bring anything to the table that Freiermuth doesn’t. Washington and Nowakowski offer something different, but then, what does Galbreath do that Robert Tonyan hasn’t already done—with this quarterback, no less?
Of course, prior history with Aaron Rodgers didn’t really help Marquez Valdes-Scantling play well last year, so…
With the 2026 offseason well underway and many moves made, we have stock to take. Already promisinga year of change, the Steelers are shaking things up. That is unavoidable, of course, when you gut the coaching staff. Mike Tomlin’s resignation has fundamentally changed this football team, including the players on the roster.
After a long season, the Steelers showed the ability to win the division and make the playoffs. But they also showed that their progress was 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 that they ended the season on a higher note and won the AFC North. But it didn’t help.
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