It feels like just a few weeks ago that I put the finishing touches on my annual Ranking The Steelers’ Starters Post-Season edition here at Steelers Depot, but that was back on March 1.
Time sure does fly in the NFL offseason.
As the NFL calendar barrels towards training camp in late July, we’ve reached the dog days of summer. Organized Team Activities and minicamp are in the rearview mirror, and the Steelers are off to enjoy some rest and relaxation before the training camp grind.
Here at Steelers Depot though, we keep it rolling.
Today, we dive into the start of the popular summer series ranking the Steelers’ starters from No. 24 to No. 1.
As a reminder, here’s how the post-season rankings looked coming out of the 2025 season
No. 24 — Darius Slay, CB
No. 23 — Corliss Waitman, P
No. 22 — Jonnu Smith, TE
No. 21 — Calvin Austin III, WR
No. 20 — Broderick Jones, LT
No. 19 — Keeanu Benton, NT
No. 18 — Pat Freiermuth, TE
No. 17 — Payton Wilson, ILB
No. 16 — Patrick Queen, ILB
No. 15 — Mason McCormick, RG
No. 14 — Jaylen Warren, RB
No. 13 — Jalen Ramsey, DB
No. 12 — Derrick Harmon, DL
No. 11 — Isaac Seumalo, LG
No. 10 — Aaron Rodgers, QB
No. 9 — DeShon Elliott, S
No. 8 — DK Metcalf, WR
No. 7 — Troy Fautanu, RT
No. 6 — T.J. Watt, OLB
No. 5 — Alex Highsmith, OLB
No. 4 — Chris Boswell, K
No. 3 — Joey Porter Jr., CB
No. 2 — Zach Frazier, C
No. 1 — Cameron Heyward, DE
Now that that is out of the way, it’s time to project the Steelers’ starters used in this pre-training camp series moving forward.
In the first year of Mike McCarthy, I’m going to lean on the 11 personnel, so that means one running back, one tight end and three receivers. I’ll stick with the base 3-4 defense, too. That means you’ll see the three down linemen and four defensive backs.
Here is my projected starting lineup for the Steelers, kicker and punter included, for the season opener in Week 1 against the Atlanta Falcons.
Offense
QB — Aaron Rodgers
RB — Jaylen Warren
WR — DK Metcalf
WR — Michael Pittman Jr.
WR — Germie Bernard
TE — Darnell Washington
LT — Troy Fautanu
LG — Mason McCormick
C — Zach Frazier
RG — Spencer Anderson
RT — Dylan Cook
Defense
DE — Cameron Heyward
NT — Keeanu Benton
DE — Derrick Harmon
OLB — Alex Highsmith
ILB — Patrick Queen
ILB — Payton Wilson
OLB — T.J. Watt
CB — Jamel Dean
CB — Joey Porter Jr.
S — Jalen Ramsey
S — DeShon Elliott
Special Teams
K — Chris Boswell
P — Cameron Johnston
Now that I’ve established the projected starters for Week 1, it’s time to dive into the start of the series, taking a look at No. 24-22.
No. 24 — CAMERON JOHNSTON, P
Moving on from Corliss Waitman in free agency was the right choice by Steelers’ GM Omar Khan. What feels like the wrong choice, at least right now, was running it back with Cameron Johnston.
Johnston punted in one game for the Steelers in 2024 and then was lost for the season late in that game to a devastating knee injury. He stuck around in training camp last summer, but ultimately lost the competition to Waitman. From there, he bounced around the NFL with the Buffalo Bills and New York Giants and wasn’t all that good.
Now, he’s back in Pittsburgh under a new special teams coordinator in Danny Crossman. It’s a real gamble for the Steelers, who need to be much better in the punting game. All reports indicate he’s healthy and back to his usual self, so he’ll have to prove it during the preseason.
No. 23 — GERMIE BERNARD, WR
While I personally am high on Germie Bernard and his abilities moving forward, it’s hard to slot him anywhere than in the No. 24-22 range right now. Bernard should be able to beat out Roman Wilson for the WR3 role within McCarthy’s offense, but behind DK Metcalf and Michael Pittman Jr. it’s difficult to see him having a big year in general. He’ll certainly get some run offensively and will make some plays, but the transition from college to the NFL for most receivers is difficult.
I fully admit this could be a silly ranking for Bernard when his rookie season is all said and done. He was pro-ready, but has a learning curve in working with Aaron Rodgers, who historically doesn’t like young receivers. But right now, questions about his role and difficulty projecting his transition to the NFL game come the start of the regular season is tough for me to slot him any higher.
No. 22 – SPENCER ANDERSON, RG
With Isaac Seumalo leaving in free agency, that opened the door for Spencer Anderson to grab a starting role. Thanks to line shifts, Anderson now slots in as the starting right guard, though he has plenty of competition with veteran free agent signee Brock Hoffman and rookie third-round pick Gennings Dunker hot on his heels.
When he was a backup, Anderson was a comforting piece to have. He performed well in his extra OL role last season, but as a full-time starter he doesn’t move the needle much. He’s an athletic piece, but he doesn’t play with that physicality that the Steelers need on the interior. He struggles in pass protection, too, allowing 14 pressures and a sack in just 340 pass blocking reps. Anderson is a guy I can see losing his job quickly, but for now he’s an experienced placeholder piece at right guard until Dunker is ready.
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