The annual rite of passage known as “picking the 53-man roster” is here. The Pittsburgh Steelers must have their roster down to 53-men by Tuesday at 4pmET. Their Practice Squad can consist of 16 players. Many of those will be guys that have been cut by them and some will come from other teams. Understand this very important point however; the 53-man roster announced on Tuesday afternoon will be different from the one that goes into week one. In other words, it’s a fluid situation. Here’s my look at the guys I believe will be on the initial roster.
Offense (24)
Quarterbacks (3)
Kenny Pickett, Mitchell Trubisky, Mason Rudolph
Thoughts: Very little to ponder here. It’s been these three since day one.
Running Backs (3)
Najee Harris, Jaylen Warren, Anthony McFarland
Thoughts: McFarland had his best preseason and with limited opportunities he must hit some home runs when he does get chances. Mike Tomlin has always used a ‘bell cow’ back but look for Harris and Warren to split carries a bit.
Tight Ends (4)
Pat Freiermuth, Zach Gentry, *Connor Heyward, Darnell Washington
*Heyward will largely be utilized as an H-Back.
Thoughts: There’s no reason to part ways with Gentry until Washington demonstrates he can be the full-time number two. We’ve already seen what Gentry and Washington can do when on the field together as blockers and there’s no reason to break that up.
Wide Receivers (5)
Diontae Johnson, Allen Robinson II, George Pickens, Calvin Austin III, Miles Boykin
Thoughts: Boykin beats out Gunner Olszewski for the fifth spot. Would it surprise me to see Mike Tomlin find a way to keep Olszewski? No it wouldn’t.
Offensive Line (9)
Tackles – Chuks Okorafor, Dan Moore, Broderick Jones
Guards – James Daniels, Isaac Seumalo, Nate Herbig, Kevin Dotson
Center – Mason Cole, Player to be named
Thoughts: The Steelers tried hard to make things work for Kendrick Green but in the end he’s cut. Spencer Anderson has shown versatility along the line and could make the roster but I expect a player who is released from another team to be added.
Defense (26)
Defensive Line (7)
Cam Heyward, Larry Ogunjobi, Keeanu Benton, Montravious Adams, Isaiahh Loudermilk, Breiden Fehoko, DeMarvin Leal
Thoughts: I think they opt for seven because Ogunjobi is always one play away from being injured. He’s a great player when healthy but that’s been an issue.
Linebackers (9)
OLB(4)- T.J. Watt, Alex Highsmith, Markus Golden, Nick Herbig
ILB (5)- Elandon Roberts, Kwon Alexander, Nate Holcomb, Mark Robinson, Tanner Muse
Thoughts: Muse is athletic and can play safety in an emergency but Special Teams is where he’s most needed. He gets the nod over Nick Kwiatkowski.
Defensive Backs (10)
Cornerbacks (6)- Patrick Peterson, Levi Wallace, Joey Porter, Jr, James Pierre, Chandon Sullivan, Elijah Riley
Safety (4) – Minkah Fitzpatrick, Miles Killabrew, Keanu Neal, Damontae Kazee
Thoughts: I believe it to be very likely that one of Pierre, Sullivan and Riley could be gone to make way for a player released by his current team. After those top three corners, there are serious doubts.
Specialists (3)
PK – Chris Boswell
P – Pressley Harvin III
LS – Christian Kuntz
Thoughts: While Harvin seemed to have faced a genuine battle for his position, it never really felt in doubt did it? Let’s also remember that Harvin is Boswell’s holder too and that matters more than you might think.
