Will we see a youth movement on the Steelers’ roster?
There are several areas of the Steelers’ roster at which they may have to make a key decision. Do they go with veterans, or try the youngsters? Generally, this is a discussion about depth, though that’s partly because there are few starting job in limbo. You could point out, however, that RT will be 28-year-old Dylan Cook or 22-year-old Max Iheanachor.
Generally speaking, however, I’m thinking of an even bigger divide, and we see that at several positions on the Steelers’ roster. Quarterback, for example, and tight end, plus the defensive line and safety. There are several positions, frankly, pretty much in place, like outside linebacker, and even wide receiver. But many of those up in the air will force the Steelers to side with aging veterans or inexperienced rookies to fill out the roster.
Starting with quarterback, we have the most obvious and high-profile example. The Steelers’ backup will either be 30-year-old Mason Rudolph or 24-year-old Will Howard, and the loser may miss the roster. Howard is even older than his experience would suggest, a second-year player with not even preseason experience. Rudolph, on the other hand, is going into Year 9 with 19 career starts.
One of the most interesting experience-versus-potential questions on the Steelers’ roster is at safety. They added Darnell Savage, a 29-year-old former starter. But he may have to come at the expense of potentially not just one but two young safeties. Sebastian Castro is another second-year player older than his experience implies, granted. But there’s also rookie 22-year-old Robert Spears-Jennings, battling to claim a spot.
Behind the top five on the defensive line, the Steelers may have just one roster spot. Will it go to 32-year-old Dean Lowry, who has some history with Mike McCarthy? Might it go to rookie Gabriel Rubio, or another recent draft pick from 2024, Logan Lee?
Finally, there’s the Aaron Rodgers quotient with Robert Tonyan. The Steelers added the veteran tight end this offseason, but it’s not clear where he fits on the roster and whether he might be directly challenging rookie FB/TE Riley Nowakowski. It’s possible Tonyan is competing to force Pittsburgh to shorthand another position, or at least J.J. Galbreath, who is a young longshot.
Even running back has this dynamic, to some degree, if you factor in eighth-year veteran Travis Homer, who is somehow only 27 years old (but will turn 28 next month) despite being in the league since 2019. If he makes the roster, it may come at the expense of 22-year-old second-year Kaleb Johnson fellow 22-year-old Eli Heidenreich, a rookie. All of these battles must be ascertained individually, but collectively, it could mark a big shift on the Steelers’ roster.
The Steelers have a long road ahead of them under Mike McCarthy, along with his cadre of quarterbacks.With seven consecutive postseason losses, and no wins in nearly a decade, they are under fire for their repeated playoff failures. While we have seen many changes, none could dream of topping Mike Tomlin resigning.
We’re already deep into the offseason, with free agency and the draft already reshaping rosters. The Steelers, of course, are used to early offseason mode as a team thatloses by the middle of January all the time. Enjoy the ride, even the turbulence, because it’s the only way we know how to travel anymore.
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