With four preseason games in the books, Steelers management and coaches now have until 4 p.m. Saturday to figure out who will remain on the 2019 team and who will be looking to continue their careers elsewhere.
Let’s dive in, shall we?
Ben Roethlisberger
Mason Rudolph
Joshua Dobbs
Rudolph did enough to earn the backup job. He looked more confident than he has before in the preseason finale. The only question would be if the Steelers try to trade Dobbs. I think they won’t.
James Conner
Jaylen Samuels
Benny Snell
Snell has not impressed in the preseason, including just 12 yards on eight carries against Carolina. Trey Edmunds would be the only logical player to take the third spot, but he just misses out to the draft pick.
Rosie Nix
Move along, nothing to see here.
JuJu Smith-Schuster
James Washington
Donte Moncrief
Diontae Johnson
Ryan Switzer
Johnny Holton
The first eyebrow-raiser of my predictions. Holton, after a strong performance against Carolina, gets the final spot over Eli Rogers, who has two years left on his contract and has a history of injury. Conservatively, the Steelers could stick with Rogers, and that would not be surprising whatsoever. Roethlisberger loves Switzer, and that’s why Rogers gets the boot.
Vance McDonald
Xavier Grimble
Zach Gentry
The Steelers will likely be exploring the tight end market this weekend. Pittsburgh general manager Kevin Colbert, on KDKA-TV’s pregame show before the Carolina game, said that Grimble is “technically the no. 2 tight end, right now.” Not exactly a glowing endorsement.
Alejandro Villanueva
Ramon Foster
Maurkice Pouncey
David DeCastro
Matt Feiler
BJ Finney
Chukwuma Okorafor
Zach Banner
Fred Johnson
Jerald Hawkins, a fourth-round pick in 2016 that has dealt with serious injury problems, will be cut. Patrick Morris, a center, could find his way onto the roster should Pittsburgh look for more depth there. Feiler’s ability to play guard makes Johnson more expendable if that happens.
Stephon Tuitt
Javon Hargrave
Cam Heyward
Tyson Alualu
Dan McCullers
Isaiah Buggs
The Steelers may try to keep second-year defensive lineman Henry Mondeaux around, on the practice squad. Other than that, no one has impressed this preseason outside of the starters and McCullers.
TJ Watt
Bud Dupree
Anthony Chickillo
Ola Adeniyi
Tuzar Skipper
Sutton Smith, drafted in the sixth round, was limited by injury in the preseason and it set him back. He looked rough in the third preseason game and a little better against Carolina. That won’t be enough, but the practice squad could be a landing spot. Adeniyi may not be ready for the opener after meniscus surgery, which complicated matters. Skipper was the star of the preseason and must be kept.
Vince Williams
Devin Bush
Mark Barron
Ulysees Gilbert
Gilbert, who blocked a kick Thursday night, edges out Tyler Matakevich. The Steelers suddenly have depth at inside linebacker with Bush and Barron now in the mix, and that makes Matakevich the odd man out, as Pittsburgh knows what he is at this point.
Joe Haden
Steve Nelson
Mike Hilton
Artie Burns
Cam Sutton
Justin Layne
Burns showed significant improvement as the preseason went along. That is a really good thing for he and the Steelers, if it can keep up. There is not much cornerback depth behind those six players, making this a simple prediction.
Terrell Edmunds
Sean Davis
Kameron Kelly
Jordan Dangerfield
Kelly got reps in the spring with the first team. That should have been a sign of how much he impressed Mike Tomlin and Steelers management. He’s been strong since and will make the team over Marcus Allen, who has not been reliable in his first two years.
Chris Boswell
Jordan Berry
Kam Canaday
Boswell was great in camp and the preseason and has earned the job after a disastrous 2018. The Steelers may look around for an upgrade at punter, as Berry has been better in the preseason than he was last season, but that is a small sample size. Chartiers Valley and Duquesne grad Christian Kuntz is in the mix as a long snapper, but I’m guessing Pittsburgh sticks with what they’re familiar with.