Now, with the NFL draft in the books and free agency largely in the books, it’s time for an update to our 53-man roster projection. The Steelers have been steadily building to their 90 players for training camp and preseason before the cutdowns begin. Here’s our best guess as to which 53 players will make the final cuts.
Quarterback
The only drama here will be to see if Mason Rudolph can pass Josh Dobbs on the depth chart as Ben Roethlisberger’s backup.
Ben Roethlisberger
Mason Rudolph
Josh Dobbs
Running back
This will be the opportunity for James Conner to have a full offseason as the feature back but Jaylen Samuels and Benny Snell Jr. are good enough to warrant some carries as well.
James Conner
Jaylen Samuels
Benny Snell Jr.
Roosevelt Nix (fullback)
Wide receiver
The Steelers begin life without Antonio Brown but there is plenty to get excited about. JuJu Smith-Schuster is a star and he just needs a couple of the other guys on this list to do their part to keep the passing offense moving.
JuJu Smith-Schuster
James Washington
Donte Moncrief
Ryan Switzer
Diontae Johnson
Eli Rogers
Tight end
Once again the tight end position is something of an afterthought for the Steelers offense. Vance McDonald is a better player than his stats indicate but unfortunately, the tight end is never going to be an emphasis in the Steelers’ offense.
Vance McDonald
Xavier Grimble
Zach Gentry
Offensive line
The strength of the Steelers’ offense remains the big boys up front. The only debate at this point is who will win the starting right tackle position between Matt Feiler and Chuks Okorafor.
Alejandro Villanueva
Ramon Foster
Maurkice Pouncey
David DeCastro
Matt Feiler
B.J. Finney
Chuks Okorafor
Jerald Hawkins
Derwin Gray
Defensive line
The best unit on the Steelers’ defense got better in the draft with the addition of Isaiah Buggs and Chris Nelson. This group should really benefit from the additions behind them and allow Cam Heyward and Stephon Tuitt to control the line of scrimmage.
Cam Heyward
Javon Hargrave
Stephon Tuitt
Tyson Alualu
Isaiah Buggs
Chris Nelson
Linebacker
This group got a serious rebuild this offseason. The additions of Devin Bush, Mark Barron and Ulysees Gilbert III add a significant amount of athleticism to this group.
T.J. Watt
Bud Dupree
Vince Williams
Devin Bush
Mark Barron
Anthony Chickillo
Ola Adeniyi
Ulysees Gilbert III
Cornerback
The other group to get a boost in athleticism was the cornerbacks. The additions of Steven Nelson and Justin Layne should make this group much better and push guys like Cam Sutton and Brian Allen to get better if they want to see the field.
Joe Haden
Steven Nelson
Mike Hilton
Justin Layne
Artie Burns
Cam Sutton
Brian Allen
Safety
The one surprise on this list is rookie Dravon Askew-Henry. The UDFA has the potential to crack the 53-man roster with his aggressive style and big hitting. We opted for one extra cornerback in this projection and to carry only four safeties.
Sean Davis
Terrell Edmunds
Marcus Allen
Dravon Askew-Henry
Specialists
No major changes here for the Steelers specialists. As much as this group could use a makeover, we don’t predict anyone will supplant the current group of starters.
Jordan Berry
Chris Boswell
Kam Canaday
