With Steelerstraining camp just around the corner, we turn our focus to the roster andthe battles ahead of us over the summer. Over the course of the next few weeks, we will be taking a closer look at some of the roster battles that we expect to see unfold over the course of training camp as the Pittsburgh Steelers prepare for the start of the 2026 season.
This year, the Steelers seem to have most of their major battles settled before training camp. Outside of the offensive line, the rest of the starting lineup seems to be in order. There are other contributing roles to sort out, of course, like the third wide receiver. But perhaps more than most recent years, this is more jockeying for roles and depth, and not who is starting.
Position: Defensive Line
Up for Grabs: Depth
In the Mix: Logan Lee, Esezi Otomewo, Dean Lowry, Gabriel Rubio, Kevin Jobity Jr., Anthony Goodlow, Kyler Baugh
The Steelers have a clear top five along the defensive line, but there will certainly be training camp battles to determine who else makes the roster. And not just who makes the roster, either, but how many. With five players who are virtually locks, there may be only one roster spot open, and no more than two.
Historically, the Steelers have almost always kept six defensive linemen unless the competition in training camp and the preseason suggested otherwise. And even then, it sometimes involved a player playing special teams, like Henry Mondeaux.
This year, Pittsburgh has Cam Heyward, Keeanu Benton, and Derrick Harmon starting, with Yahya Black and Sebastian Joseph-Day behind them. I don’t think there’s much dispute that any of them have much to worry about as far as their roster spot goes. But the Steelers have several names worth mentioning entering training camp who will battle for potentially only one remaining spot.
Logan Lee is a third-year draft pick, including spending one year on IR. Gabrio Rubio is a rookie, while Dean Lowry is such a veteran player at this point that Mike McCarthy actually drafted him—in Green Bay. He has been with the Steelers for two years, but he hardly even participated in training camp last year due to a season-ending injury.
Jobity is a rookie college free agent, while Baugh and Goodlow have spent time on the practice squad. Of course, all of them are new to this Steelers staff, who will have fresh evaluating eyes on them in training camp. In that regard, perhaps even Yahya Black shouldn’t be considered a 100 percent lock. Even if new DK Domata Peko has visions of him being an elite nose tackle.
Really, this may be one of the Steelers’ most open roster spots entering training camp. Lee, Otomewo, and Lowry have all spent time on the Steelers’ 53-man roster before, but this camp under a new staff, that doesn’t necessarily offer much of an advantage. Rubio and Jobity are the only ones this staff has hand-picked, though they chose to re-sign both Otomewo and Lowry. So really, I see this as anybody’s game, but I’m intrigued by Rubio. They must have seen something in him that captured their imagination.
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