The Pittsburgh Steelers’ preseason is in the books following a loss to the Buffalo Bills in the finale Aug. 27.
The next major waypoint on the way to their NFL Week 1 matchup with the Atlanta Falcons on Sept. 13 will be roster cut-down day on Sunday, Aug. 30. GM Omar Khan and coach Mike McCarthy will need to shave their camp roster down to just 53 players.
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Here’s USA TODAY’S final look at where we think they will land with their decisions. Check out our previous projection here.
Required reading: Steelers winners, losers vs Bills: QBs Will Howard and Drew Allar fail to impress
Quarterbacks (4) – Aaron Rodgers, Mason Rudolph, Will Howard and Drew Allar
This would be an exceptional move. NFL teams rarely carry four quarterbacks for any length of time. Will Howard also didn’t perform exceptionally in the preseason. He led exactly one scoring drive longer than 30 yards, and that came back in the opener against the Green Bay Packers. Nevertheless, reports have indicated that he’s probably safe, so we’re reflecting that expectation here.
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Running backs (3) – Jaylen Warren, Rico Dowdle and Kaleb Johnson
It’s been really hard to get a read on whom the team prefers here. If you base the decision on preseason production, then Lew Nichols should probably be the guy. If you base it on NFL track record and special teams ability, it should probably be Travis Homer. And if you base it on draft capital investment, Johnson makes sense as a 2025 third-round pick. We went with Johnson here because of the extensive look he got in the second preseason game against the Jets, when more starters and top depth players were in the lineup. But this one could go either way.
Receivers (6) – DK Metcalf, Michael Pittman Jr., Germie Bernard, Roman Wilson, Kaden Wetjen and Ben Skowronek
Max Hurleman made a valiant attempt to make the roster in the preseason finale with three receptions for 50 yards. He’s been productive with 99 yards in three exhibitions. Wetjen’s punt return touchdown against the Bills validated the team’s belief in his special teams skills, though. And Skowronek is a Pro Bowler on kick coverage, so this group feels pretty unshakable until injuries start taking their toll.
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Tight ends (4) – Pat Freiermuth, Darnell Washington, Robert Tonyan and Riley Nowakowski
Nowakowski was the only one of the four who played in Buffalo, and even he saw only 17 snaps. That seems like a pretty clear signal that McCarthy had seen enough to make his decisions here a while ago.
Offensive line (9): Max Iheanachor, Broderick Jones, Troy Fautanu, Dylan Cook (T), Zach Frazier, Brock Hoffman (C), Gennings Dunker, Mason McCormick, Spencer Anderson (G)
The way things have played out, Hoffman seems like the only player in this group who could even be in remote jeopardy. We haven’t seen enough of Max Iheanachor for him to become the only swing tackle over the experienced Broderick Jones, even if the latter has struggled at times in the preseason. And Dunker is a 2026 third-round pick whom the team will want to develop. Hoffman is a McCarthy guy from Dallas, so we expect little drama here.
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Defensive line (6) – Cam Heyward, Derrick Harmon, Keeanu Benton, Yahya Black, Dean Lowry and Gabriel Rubio
We’ve swapped Rubio in for Sebastian Joseph-Day here because the former has made strides as a 2026 sixth-round pick while the latter has been dealing with an injury. Dean Lowry didn’t dress against the Bills, signaling he’s probably got a spot locked up. It’s very possible McCarthy will lean on Joseph-Day’s experience in the end, but it’s also possible he could be an early stash on injured reserve to see how the Rubio situation develops.
Outside linebackers (4) – T.J. Watt, Alex Highsmith, Nick Herbig, Jack Sawyer
Not much to say here. The top three are making big money. Sawyer led outside linebackers in preseason pressures after getting rotation exposure as a 2025 fourth-round pick, per Pro Football Focus data. That should be enough to make this an open and shut case.
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Inside linebacker (5) – Patrick Queen, Payton Wilson, Cole Holcomb, Elandon Roberts, Carson Bruener
The preseason snap counts raise an eyebrow here. Roberts got 73 in two games. Bruener saw 75 and Holcomb saw 95. Few players on the entire roster were deployed more extensively. It’s enough to make one wonder if that trio is competing for two spots, prompting McCarthy and DC Patrick Graham to want extended looks at them. And whether this is a place the Steelers could free up a roster spot to accommodate the extra QB. We kept all three here because each has fairly deep organizational ties. But we won’t be shocked if one of them gets left off the 53.
Cornerback (6) – Joey Porter Jr., Jamel Dean, Asante Samuel Jr., Jalen Ramsey, Daylen Everette, Bradin Echols
The protracted contract negotiations with Porter Jr. make the Steelers unlikely to play many games here. Samuel had a nice preseason. Everett is a 2026 third-round choice. And Echols proved to be reliable depth a year ago. Ramsey is also expected to be deployed at safety a good bit, making the other five players even more important from a roster building perspective.
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Safety (3) – DeShon Elliott, Jaquan Brisker, Rayshawn Jenkins
We made Robert Spears-Jennings the odd man out to accommodate the extra quarterback. Ramsey’s versatility makes a second depth safety expendable. Even a speedy one who showed some positive signs like Spears-Jennings, a 2026 seventh-round pick.
Specialists (3) – Chris Boswell (K), Cameron Johnston (P) and Christian Kuntz (LS)
There was no meaningful competition at these spots, so we’ll send these three straight on through to Week 1.
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Final Steelers 53-man roster project: Will Howard stays in mix for now
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