Predicting the Steelers 53-man roster, by position: Wide Receivers

For those of you who read the headline to this article and rolled your eyes thinking “Here we go again with another 53-man roster prediction article” — think again.

Every outlet around the country is doing their own version of predicting who will, and won’t, make the Pittsburgh Steelers’ final roster after training camp, and the preseason, has officially ended, but I decided to go a bit more in-depth on the prediction side of things. Therefore, I decided to lead up to my first complete 53-man roster prediction by going position-by-position and deciding who will make the team, and who won’t.

Today’s position: Wide Receiver

Depth Chart/Roster:

Antonio Brown
JuJu Smith-Schuster
James Washington
Justin Hunter
Darrius Heyward-Bey
Trey Griffey
Tevin Jones
Damoun Patterson
Justin Thomas
Quadree Henderson
Markus Tucker (last, but not least in the hearts of Steeler Nation)

Unlike the other positions I’ve covered in this series, while the majority of the depth chart is set in stone, some spots remain. No one really knows how many receivers the Steelers will keep, but I will take a stab at who will stick around, and who will be looking for employment elsewhere.

This may be something which won’t get decided until training camp/the preseason rolls around, but I have a feeling I know what the depth chart will look like, and how each player will fit into the team’s scheme when all is said and done, barring injury.

Starters:

Antonio Brown — Enough said.

JuJu Smith-Schuster — See 2017 highlights.

James Washington — The team’s second round pick will for sure have a spot on the team, the question with him isn’t will he make the team, but how long until he cracks the starting lineup.

Depth Player(s):

Darrius Heyward-Bey — Every year I predict DHB is going to be cut, and every year I look like a fool. Not this year. Heyward-Bey make the team as a special teams player, and also fills in as experienced depth.

Justin Hunter — Hunter is a phenomenal practice player, but I feel this is the year he actually gets the chance to make some plays outside of practice. He made the team last year, and I feel he will make the team this year too; however, I don’t see Hunter being anything more than depth and a specialized player.

Players to be Cut:

Quadree Henderson
Trey Griffey
Tevin Jones
Damoun Patterson
Justin Thomas

Roster Spots taken: 14/53

Next position: Running Backs

Past Articles:

Predicting the Starting Safeties
Predicting the Starting Inside Linebackers