With just four days to the first preseason game, the Pittsburgh Steelers have released their first official depth chart of training camp. We all understand these depth charts are largely symbolic and when it comes to the preseason most of the top players won’t see the field until the third game. Nevertheless, there were still a few surprises.
Mark Barron starting at inside linebacker
Rookie Devin Bush has been a star in training camp but so often with the Steelers, veterans take precedent over rookies even if everyone knows when the regular season starts, Bush is not going to be a backup.
James Washington a backup wide receiver
This one took us by surprise. Washington being the incumbent and Donte Moncrief being the new face, we expected Washington to get the ceremonial starting spot next to JuJu Smith-Schuster. Instead, he’s Smith-Schuster’s backup which means he’s likely to start on Friday.
Zach Gentry fifth string
We knew training camp hadn’t gone great for Gentry but he clearly has his work cut out for him to even make the final roster. It will be interesting to see how many chances Gentry gets on Friday so low on the depth chart.
Kameron Kelly third-string free safety
While Sean Davis has been out, Kelly has taken all his first-team reps. Marcus Allen has had none. Nevertheless, when the depth chart came out, Allen was ahead of Kelly. Depth at safety is clearly an issue but Kelly seems to be high on the coaches pecking order even if the depth chart doesn’t reflect it.
