We’re continuing our Pittsburgh Steelers 2026 roster deconstruction, evaluating the odds each player makes the Week One roster. This is to make the 53-man roster, not the practice squad, and doesn’t take into account injuries shaking things up.
Check out our previous installments at the links right below. Here, we’re focusing on players inside the bubble but aren’t roster locks.
Part One – The Long Shots
Part Two – Outside The Bubble
Part Three – Squarely On The Bubble
STEELERS INSIDE THE BUBBLE (56%-75% CHANCE OF MAKING 53-MAN ROSTER)
ILB Cole Holcomb: 75%
WR Roman Wilson: 75%
WR Ben Skowronek: 75%
FB Riley Nowakowski: 75%
QB Will Howard: 66%
ILB Malik Harrison: 60%
It’s a group heavy with wide receivers and inside linebackers. Pittsburgh left the off-ball room pretty much untouched this summer. On paper, that bodes well for Holcomb and Harrison. But Holcomb’s role is a little murky. He might not be the top backup and doesn’t have an abundance of special teams value. Carson Bruener, overlooked in that group, could move ahead of him.
Harrison is a thumper who played in Pittsburgh’s base 3-4 after recovering from a knee injury last year. If Payton Wilson’s run game struggles continue, Harrison’s value will remain. He’s a core special teamer, and that gives him an edge over Holcomb, but it’s blunted by his larger base salary. There’s a chance he could wind up being a late cap casualty if all he’s going to be is a special teamer to begin the season.
Wilson and Skowronek have identical odds but are in different situations. Wilson is the younger receiver with more offensive talent but minimal special teams value. Mike McCarthy’s praised his work ethic, but Wilson must impress this summer to stamp his spot.
Skowronek has a high floor as a strong special teamer but not much of an offensive role. His big-body blocking skillset is even less important now that Michael Pittman Jr. can fill that role (along with DK Metcalf).
Still, the Steelers will keep five wide receivers, and there’s no one else on roster even alongside those two right now. A camp darling will have to emerge, or Eli Heidenreich threads the needle enough to act like a No. 5 receiver.
Nowakowski looks to have a central role in the offense, and working in the tight end room will only increase his value. His special teams background is another plus. But the team has added more tight end competition, and a bad summer from Nowakowski will open up questions about his status.
That’s how I often think about these odds. He’s not a lock, though I suspect I’ll get some pushback for not putting him higher.
Howard’s two-thirds odds mirrors Mason Rudolph’s 33 percent from earlier in the series. If he has a good summer, Howard will make the team as the No. 2. If it’s rocky, things get interesting.
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