Steelers final 53-man roster projections ahead of preseason Week 3

With the Steelers beginning to make cuts to their roster ahead of the final preseason game against the Atlanta Falcons, here are my projections for what the final 53-man roster will look like.

Offense (24)

Quarterbacks (3: Kenny Pickett, Mitch Trubisky, Mason Rudolph)

Pretty cut and dry here. No surprises, but with the way Rudolph has played, the Steelers may have the deepest quarterback room in football.

Running backs (3: Najee Harris, Jaylen Warren, Anthony McFarland)

McFarland had a nice camp and a great preseason and Warren is making a case to get more touches in the offense. With a revamped offensive line, the run game should be more effective in all facets.

Wide receivers (6: Diontae Johnson, George Pickens, Allen Robinson, Calvin Austin III, Gunner Olszewski, Miles Boykin)

The Steelers let go of Cody White and Hakeem Butler, opening up the door for Gunner Olszewski and Hakeem Butler. Olszewski has gotten praise from Kenny Pickett, and has had a good camp and preseason as a receiver. He’ll get that fifth spot with Boykin being No. 6 on the depth chart as the special teams ace.

Tight ends (4: Pat Freiermuth, Darnell Washington, Connor Heyward, Zach Gentry)

Heyward will be utilized as both a tight end and fullback, while Gentry will be put in during heavy sets. Freiermuth and Washington will be the two top tight ends in the offense.

Offensive linemen (8: Dan Moore, Isaac Seumalo, Mason Cole, James Daniels, Chukwuma Okorafor, Broderick Jones, Nate Herbig, Kevin Dotson)

It looks like Dan Moore will start Week 1 over Broderick Jones (I was wrong on that one). If that is the case, there is no need to panic. Moore has had a solid preseason, and Jones has shown promise, he just needs to be more consistent in pass protection. The offensive line has respectable depth, which isn’t something that has been able to be said for quite sometime.

Defense (26)

Defensive linemen (7: Cam Heyward, Keeanu Benton, Larry Ogunjobi, DeMarin Leal, Armon Watts, Breiden Fehoko, Isaiahh Loudermilk)

Loudermilk and Watts played themselves onto the roster, which means Montravius Adams will be on the outside looking in (and probable practice squad player).

Edge rushers (4: T.J. Watt, Alex Highsmith, Nick Herbig, Markus Golden)

The Steelers’ edge rushers were the talk of the town throughout camp, and have stood out thus far in the preseason. This will be a fun group to watch.

Inside linebackers (5: Kwon Alexander, Elandon Roberts, Cole Holcomb, Mark Robinson, Tanner Muse)

The off-ball linebackers for the Steelers got so much better and deeper as a unit after the addition of Kwon Alexander. Roberts and Holcomb will be the other two feature members of the unit, with Robinson and Muse being special teams guys who will be solid plug-and-play pieces should someone go down with injury.

Cornerbacks (6: Patrick Peterson, Levi Wallace, Joey Porter Jr., Elijah Riley, Chandon Sullivan, James Pierre)

I think Pierre will initially make the roster, but he won’t stay there. With the likes of Kyle Fuller, Bryce Callahan, and Greedy Williams still available, any of them would be better options than Pierre, or anyone else currently fighting for the final perimeter corner spot. Riley has played himself onto the roster, and he and Sullivan will continue their battle for nickel reps.

Safeties (4: Minkah Fitzpatrick, Damontae Kazee, Keanu Neal, Miles Killebrew)

Shoutout to Kenny Robinson because he played his butt off in camp. That said, he’ll have a spot on the practice squad. Killebrew will continue being the special teams demon that he is, while Kazee and Neal will be a great clash of styles opposite of Fitzpatrick.

Specialists (3: Chris Boswell, Pressley Harvin, Christian Kuntz)

Harvin pulled away in the battle with Braden Mann. Outside of that, Boswell and Kuntz were always going to make the roster- nothing of note there.