Hey Steelers Fans. Welcome to Monday.
The Kickoff
The Pittsburgh Steelers have established their initial 53-man roster for 2026. It’s about as concrete as the jell-o mold you have every Christmas. In other words, it’s going to change before week one. Let’s get to the roster.
Surprises
There were two guys that immediately stood out to me among others. First was the decision to cut Elandon Roberts. I was starting to wonder if this wasn’t a possibility because in the two preseason games he played in, he was in late in those games. He’s a veteran and does not have to clear waivers so I’m hopeful they bring him back. I wouldn’t be shocked if he signed elsewhere however. The other surprise was Eli Heidenreich. Some fans will need to take off their Yinzer-colored glasses for a moment and answer the question, “was he really a better running back than Lew Nichols was?” In my opinion, he was not. The problem for Nichols is that he does not play Special Teams. Heidenreich cannot only return kicks but he was also in on some tackles as well on coverage units. Is it a “feel good story” for a local kid to make the roster? Yes it is but it’s also about Special Teams and nothing more than that.
One Shocking Development
DeShon Elliott being placed on Injured Reserved/Designated for Return was not anything we saw coming. Go back and watch his film from the Jets’ game and you can kind of see why. The effort – as it always is with Elliott – was there. But he looked a step slow at times which at the time I just chalked up to being his first action in quite a while. His absence will be important because of his ability and leadership on the field. The secondary in his absence was not the same last season.
JPJ
The Steelers removed Joey Porter, Jr from the PUP list in order to make him part of the active roster. Had he remained on PUP he would have missed the first four games. I do not buy that he’s been dealing with a back injury all this time either. This has been strictly about his “hold in” related to an extension. I still think something gets done in the next week otherwise there is going to be some serious tension all year long.
The Quartet
Three other teams in the NFL also elected to keep four quarterbacks on their rosters so at least the Steelers have company. I’m not going to sit and here say whether Will Howard would or wouldn’t have made it through waivers had the Steelers cut him but my gut feeling is someone would have signed him. Teams are so desperate for good QBs that they’re willing to take shots on just about anyone. I am curious to see who dresses on gameday, Howard or Drew Allar. My guess is the latter.
Both Sides of the Coin
On hand, we can say that Omar Khan did a terrible job in drafting both Broderick Jones and Kaleb Johnson. On the other hand, we can say he did a masterful job of getting something in return for each of them. Jones, a former first round pick, often displayed some of what got him selected whereas the former third rounder Johnson didn’t give us much to see period. He’s the one I’m most shocked about getting anything in return.
Random Reads
I think Germie Bernard will be getting significantly more playing time than Roman Wilson this year… I’m not ready to say that Max Iheanachor will be starting week one, but I guarantee it by week three… None of us should tolerate even for a second the idea of “rust” by guys who didn’t play in the Preseason… After seeing the video, I have a hard time believing that Josh Jacobs ever plays in the NFL again. That was as bad if not worse than Ray Rice… I am making a prediction right here in this space. More than two quarterbacks will play for the Steelers at some point this season… Tommy Carr, the grandson of former Michigan Head Coach Lloyd Carr, will back up Bryce Underwood this year. He’s also the brother of Notre Dame QB C.J. Carr… Does anyone miss the old pennant races in baseball or is everyone on board with the Wild-Cards now?
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