Steelers 53-Man Roster Projection: QB Room, Rookie Class Finalized

PITTSBURGH -- The Pittsburgh Steelers are officially headed into the regular season - almost. First, they need to trim their roster down to 53 players.

The team started by cutting 11 players, moving their roster down from 90 to 89. Before the end of the weekend, it'll be finalized for the season, but this year seems harder to predict than most. With four quarterbacks making the roster, the Steelers need to find players to cut at other positions.

It wasn't easy, but here's the final outlook on Pittsburgh's 53-man team and how they navigate their roster after making their quarterback decision.

Quarterback

Aaron Rodgers, Mason Rudolph, Will Howard, Drew Allar

The Steelers are prepared to keep four quarterbacks this season, meaning they'll need to make room on the roster elsewhere. They view Drew Allar and Will Howard as sound options for the future, though, and want Mason Rudolph as their backup this season. So, everyone is safe.

Running Back

Jaylen Warren, Rico Dowdle, Lew Nichols

The Steelers' RB3 competition came right down to the wire, but it's hard to deny that Lew Nichols doesn't deserve the job. He's clearly a better runner than Travis Homer and is able to provide special teams abilities, which is why Homer was the leader in the clubhouse all summer.

It wouldn't be surprising if it's Homer over Nichols, but my prediction is that Nichols did enough to earn the job.

Fullback

Riley Nowakowski

The fifth-round rookie out of Indiana has been a lock the entire summer and played well during the preseason. He's making this roster without much question to it.

Wide Receiver

DK Metcalf, Michael Pittman Jr., Germie Bernard, Roman Wilson, Ben Skowronek, Kaden Wetjen

Wide receiver may not have had much competition within the roster itself, but there was definitely pressure on Kaden Wetjen to step up and perform. The fourth-round pick was called out by head coach Mike McCarthy after the first preseason game for not having great practices and then fumbled in the second preseason game.

Heading into Buffalo, Wetjen needed to make something happen and he did. In the second half, Wetjen took a punt 45 yards to the house, securing his spot on the team and proving to everyone why the team drafted him in the first place.

Tight End

Pat Freiermuth, Darnell Washington

Things start to get difficult with the tight end position. Keeping two tight ends is not ideal, but the Steelers need to create space for Howard, Rudolph and Allar. To do so, cutting Robert Tonyan and trying to put him on their practice squad feels like a real possibility.

Tonyan won't be too difficult to sneak through to the p-squad and can be called up when needed. Until then, Nowakowski can play emergency tight end if needed.

Offensive Line (Interior)

Zach Frazier, Mason McCormick, Spencer Anderson, Brock Hoffman, Gennings Dunker

Offensive line is the second place the Steelers make a sacrifice in order to keep four passers. Ryan McCollum probably deserves to be on this roster, but could be the odd man out. Brock Hoffman is capable of playing center, and Spencer Anderson could in a pinch. With Gennings Dunker being a rookie they want to keep, it's hard to justify another interior lineman with limited roster space available.

Offensive Tackle

Troy Fautanu, Broderick Jones, Dylan Cook, Max Iheanachor

While it's unknown who will be the starting right tackle come Week 1, the Steelers' offensive tackle spots are solidified. There wasn't much competition. Really, just a decision on whether or not everyone deserved a place on the roster.

Defensive Tackle

Cam Heyward, Keeanu Benton, Derrick Harmon, Yahya Black, Dean Lowry, Sebastian Joseph-Day, Gabe Rubio

Dean Lowry and Gabe Rubio were the closest players to be axed from this list to make room for the quarterbacks, but both make it through. It feels like the veteran is going to play a pretty good-sized role within the defense, and the rookie has been good enough to believe in his potential.

The only change I could see happening is Sebastian Joseph-Day starting the season on Injured Reserve. He missed a lot of training camp with an injury and didn't play in the preseason. No one knows what the injury is at this point, and it's unknown how much time he'll miss. If it's still a few weeks, he could end up on IR, leaving Pittsburgh to either add another defensive tackle or keep one of the cuts that were mentioned above.

Edge Rusher

T.J. Watt, Alex Highsmith, Nick Herbig, Jack Sawyer

Not much to talk about here. Jack Sawyer looked pretty good in the preseason. The other three didn't play or didn't play much. But this group was decided from day one.

Aug 27, 2026; Orchard Park, New York, USA; Pittsburgh Steelers linebacker Jacoby Windmon (53), defensive back Jack Henderson (48) and linebacker Elandon Roberts (50) tackle Buffalo Bills tight end Dante Pettis (87) during the fourth quarter at New Highmark Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Mark Konezny-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

Inside Linebacker

Patrick Queen, Payton Wilson, Elandon Roberts, Carson Bruener

Things once again get interesting as Cole Holcomb misses the cut at inside linebacker. The addition of Elandon Roberts ended any hopes for Malik Harrison, who didn't even dress for the preseason finale. Holcomb was probably the 54th player on this roster, but keeping four inside linebackers is enough, and Carson Bruener showed a lot of growth this offseason.

Pittsburgh will hope Holcomb can sign to the practice squad, but you never know how teams view him after returning from his knee injury. It wouldn't be surprising if another team took a chance on him.

Cornerback

Jalen Ramsey, Joey Porter Jr., Jamel Dean, Asante Samuel Jr., Brandin Echols, Daylen Everette

A lot of defensive backs were in the first round of roster cuts, and that's because there wasn't much competition. This group is stacked, and the Steelers might have one of the best cornerback rooms in the NFL if everyone stays healthy.

And if Joey Porter Jr. returns.

Safety

DeShon Elliott, Jaquan Brisker, Rayshawn Jenkins, Robert Spears-Jennings

Robert Spears-Jennings did everything possible to secure himself a roster spot this summer, and it would be the wrong move to deny him one. The Steelers might have something in this seventh-round rookie, and with DeShon Elliott, Jaquan Brisker, Rayshawn Jenkins and probably Jalen Ramsey ahead of him, he doesn't need to do anything this season but develop and play special teams.

The biggest underdog of the draft class has found his way onto the team - most likely.

Special Teams

Chris Boswell (K), Cameron Johnston (P), Christian Kuntz (LS)

Congratulations to Chris Boswell, Cameron Johnston and Christian Kuntz, who have been on the 2026 roster since the day the 2025 season ended.

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