There is under a month until the Pittsburgh Steelers report to training camp at St. Vincent College in Latrobe, PA. And with free agency and the offseason program behind us, I’ll take an early swing at predicting the Steelers’ 53-man roster come Week 1 of the 2026 season.
Quarterback (3): Aaron Rodgers, Will Howard, Drew Allar
It’s pretty clear that the Steelers want Will Howard to win the QB2 job. He was given QB2 reps during the offseason program, and Pittsburgh would love if he shows he can be the primary backup to Aaron Rodgers in 2026. If it’s close,
it’ll be a tie goes to the runner situation where the Steelers will opt to keep Howard, and in turn, flip Rudolph in a trade that involves a pick swap i.e. sending Rudolph and a sixth-round pick in exchange for a fifth-round pick. Then again, Kenny Pickett was traded for a fourth-round pick last offseason on two occasions, so if they can get that for Rudolph, they’d do it in a heartbeat.
Running back (4): Rico Dowdle, Jaylen Warren, Eli Heidenreich, Travis Homer
Dowdle and Warren are the undisputed top two backs, but it gets interesting when you try to fill the rest of the room. Kaleb Johnson had just 28 carries for 69 yards as a rookie and he doesn’t play special teams. Travis Homer is a special teams stud, and that will lead to him securing a roster spot. That leaves a battle between Johnson and Eli Heidenreich, which Heidenreich wins. He’s more versatile and he’ll provide Pittsburgh with another special teams hand. If the Steelers could get a Day Three pick for Johnson, that would be a win.
Wide receiver (6): DK Metcalf, Michael Pittman, Germie Bernard, Noah Brown, Ben Skowronek, Kaden Wetjen
As I pointed out previously, I fully expect the Steelers to add veteran competition at wide receiver for what will be one open spot. Five slots at receiver are safe: Metcalf, Pittman, Bernard, Skowronek, and Wetjen, with the latter two taking up the WR5 and WR6 spot, respectively. Skowronek is there to play special teams and Wetjen will purely be a returner. Thus, the WR4 spot will come down to a competition between Roman Wilson and an outside addition, which I’ll pick to be Noah Brown. Curtis Samuel is another name that could be intriguing, but his injury history is a red flag. Brown’s the safer choice, and I’ll take a swing and say he comes in and wins the WR4 job over Wilson, who then gets shipped to the Los Angeles Chargers to reunite with Jim Harbaugh.
Tight end (3): Pat Freiermuth, Darnell Washington, Riley Nowakowski
This is one of the easier positions to sniff out. Freiermuth and Washington will be the No. 1 and No. 2 tight end, respectively, with Nowakowski playing the hybrid fullback/tight end roll.
Offensive line (9): Troy Fautanu, Mason McCormick, Zach Frazier, Spencer Anderson, Max Iheanachor, Dylan Cook, Broderick Jones, Gennings Dunker, Brock Hoffman
One of the more intriguing aspects of the Steelers’ roster is what they will end up doing with Broderick Jones. Will he be put on IR? It’s definitely possible, which would open a spot for someone like Ryan McCollum. If the Steelers don’t put him on IR, will he start? Will he even be ready to play? There’s a lot of unknown. He’s another name I would look to move in favor of receiving a draft pick, as the team didn’t pick up his fifth-year option and he will hit free agency in 2027.
The rest of the unit is pretty straight forward. Cook is a versatile depth piece, with Hoffman being an interior backup who can play center or guard. I’d expect Dunker to start the season behind Spencer Anderson, but taking over the starting job before mid-season.
Defensive line (7): Cam Heyward, Derrick Harmon, Keeanu Benton, Sebastian Joseph-Day, Yahya Black, Dean Lowry, Esezi Otomewo
Another group that feels pretty easy to outline. The final spot will come down to Otomewo, Rubio and Logan Lee, which Otomewo wins with Rubio going to the practice squad. Lee could land there, as well, but don’t be surprised if he is playing somewhere else in 2026. Dean Lowry is coming off a torn ACL he suffered last year in training camp, so we’ll see if he is able to produce at a respectable level, but I’ll pencil him in for a roster spot. The top five names in the group give Pittsburgh some very nice rotational depth.
Outside linebacker (4): T.J. Watt, Alex Highsmith, Nick Herbig, Jack Sawyer
Perhaps the easiest position to predict on the Steelers’ roster. Unless a trade occurs sending Highsmith elsewhere, don’t expect anything to change in terms of the names here. Let’s just hope we see more snaps for Nick Herbig in 2026. Jamin Davis just misses the cut, but is placed on the practice squad.
Inside linebacker (4): Patrick Queen, Payton Wilson, Cole Holcomb, Carson Bruener
Queen and Wilson will continue to be the top two linebackers, while Holcomb rotates in as a solid No. 3. Bruener proved himself to be a good special teamer, and could take a small step forward and become part of the defensive rotation. I’d prefer seeing the Steelers go that route and part ways with Malik Harrison, especially for the $6.8 million price tag.
Cornerback (6): Joey Porter Jr, Jamel Dean, Jalen Ramsey, Asante Samuel Jr, Brandin Echols, Daylen Everette
This is easily the deepest group on the Steelers’ roster. Porter and Dean give Pittsburgh a tremendous duo on the outside, with Samuel able to rotate in. Ramsey will be the team’s top nickel, likely playing safety in base and then coming down when they go into nickel or dime. Echols was reliable when called upon last season, and Everette can be a depth piece who plays special teams.
Safety (4): Jaquan Brisker, DeShon Elliott, Robert Spears-Jennings, Sebastian Castro
The Steelers need more speed on the back end, which is why I’ll pencil in Spears-Jennings in as the No. 3 safety. He ran a 4.32 40 at the NFL Combine, which was the fastest among safeties. This is the thinnest position for Pittsburgh, even after the addition of Brisker. He and Elliott are similar players who do their best work closer to the line of scrimmage rather than in a ball-hawking role. If the Steelers were to make a trade to address any position, safety may be the one to look at.
Special teams (3): Chris Boswell, Cam Johnston, Christian Kuntz
The only change made to the top special teamers is that Johnston is back to replace Corliss Waitman.
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