The games still don’t count, but the Steelers are looking to maintain positive momentum in Week 2 of the NFL preseason. Last week, the team had an impressive if imperfect 28-9 victory over the Green Bay Packers. Not many of Pittsburgh’s expected starters suited up for that tilt, though the members of the offensive line that did were arguably the biggest cause for concern. Mike McCarthy will undoubtedly be looking for progress from that unit, as well as a cleaner game after the Steelers were flagged
11 times for 134 total penalty yards in their first showing.
Earlier this summer, we here at Read & React outlined many of the various position battles on offense and on defense as the team prepared to head into training camp. Now, as we head into the second preseason contest, it feels like the perfect time to reexamine those battles. With the third and final preseason game typically not bearing as much weight for NFL clubs, this might be the last real chance for certain players to cement their roles and, in some cases, a place on the 53-man roster.
Put another way, which players have the most to gain or lose from the game with the Jets? Let’s explore.
Quarterbacks
RP: On Wednesday, McCarthy gave us a definitive answer on what the team is planning to do at quarterback against the Jets.
What the Steelers do at quarterback behind Aaron Rodgers has been one of the main intrigues surrounding the team since drafting Drew Allar in the third round this spring. By now, you should be well-versed in the Steelers’ dilemma. The team has four quarterbacks in camp and will be forced to make a difficult choice once roster cuts must be made. No team carries four quarterbacks on its active roster; it just isn’t a reality in the NFL. With just 53 jobs available, a team can’t afford to carry three players it hopes never have to take a snap.
So the Steelers’ conundrum is this: as a team that has clearly indicated it wants to compete for the playoffs this season, can it afford to have two inexperienced and developmental passers behind Rodgers? This is a source of much debate among the fanbase. Some, like myself, would posit that the Steelers are well familiar with Mason Rudolph at this point, and the idea that he will keep them playoff-competitive should Rodgers miss time is a silly notion. If Rodgers misses time, the season is likely a wash, and it would be better to find out what they have in their young passers against real competition, because hardly anyone should believe Rudolph is a future starter for this team, not after seven years in the league, including a one-year stint on another team.
But others would argue that NFL teams don’t think that way. They pay deference to veterans, and trusting two incredibly green signal callers to back up Rodgers is not the move a team like the Steelers would make. I might disagree with the philosophy, but it’s impossible to know how the Steelers truly feel. We’re not mind readers, after all.
For now, there is no clear consensus on what the team will do, even here at BTSC.
We can pretty safely say that both Rodgers and the rookie Allar are making this team. Rodgers is the starter in his final year; of course, he is making the team. Allar, meanwhile, is too high-profile of a rookie to stash on a practice squad. If Pittsburgh were to be reckless enough to try that, you can count on another quarterback-desperate franchise claiming him immediately.
If we can accept those sentiments as truths, then this has always been a case of choosing Howard or Rudolph. As for my money, I know which player looked more impressive last week. If this is a true competition, and the team hasn’t already decided to keep Rudolph, then I don’t see how his inactive status could be considered an endorsement. In fact, if this was truly a competition, I would interpret this as the Steelers having seven years of knowledge and tape on Rudolph while only having one preseason game on Howard.
I’m not saying Howard should be considered to be holding a lead in this competition, but I think the Steelers have more to gain by giving him an extended look. Rudolph won’t show you anything you don’t already know about him. Howard has a chance to either rise to the occasion or wilt under the pressure. Likewise, I see getting Allar more reps as a better benefit to the team than giving those reps to Rudolph at this stage in his career.
All that’s to say, the two players who might have the most riding on this game are Howard and Rudolph. One of them has a chance to make a big statement that he belongs. The other will be forced to watch from the sidelines.
Running back
RB: Based off of last Thursday’s Packers matchup, Travis Homer emerged as the sudden favorite for the Steelers’ RB3 spot, starting the game for the resting Jaylen Warren and Rico Dowdle.
Frankly, Homer didn’t have a memorable day on offense. He averaged just two yards per carry on what was admittedly a rough outing for the offensive line, and was steamrolled in pass protection on a rep that resulted in one of the two sacks Mason Rudolph took during the game.
Still, Homer showed some solid traits for a prospective No. 3 back, seeing extensive snaps on special teams — including as the personal protector on the punt unit — and recording two catches in the dump-off passing game. Honestly, his day in pass protection was just fine outside of a rep where he showed good effort and recognition but just got overpowered.
Also in the running back battle, Lew Nichols and Eli Heidenreich both showed more juice as runners, with Nichols looking the best on offense of the group (the only one to break three yards per carry). It’s worth noting Heidenreich saw some snaps as a kick returner, although it was fellow rookie Kaden Wetjen who caught the ball on each rep.
Then there’s 2025 third-rounder Kaleb Johnson, who looked fine during his eight snaps in the game — but the thing is, it was just eight snaps: less offensive reps, carries, and special teams reps than the other contenders in the battle for RB3.
Despite a fresh start under a new coaching staff in 2026, it appears Johnson has still struggled to stand out from the rest of the team’s depth at the position, and he didn’t get many chances to prove otherwise against the Packers.
The rest of the preseason might be essential for Johnson’s chances at salvaging his career in Pittsburgh. And while Homer’s 53-man roster odds have increased in the past week, he certainly hasn’t run away with the RB3 job just yet.
I’ll add that I only expect there to be one running back spot available behind Dowdle and Warren. It appears Robert Tonyan has established himself as a clear favorite for the TE3 job, which may have contributed to Riley Nowakowski taking on a more fullback-heavy role — and there’s no need to keep four running backs and a fullback.
Defensive Line
RP: Back in the June mailbag, we were asked about the chances of each of the Steelers Day 3 rookie class members making the final roster. When I gave my answer, I mentioned that I was intrigued by the reports we were hearing about sixth-rounder Gabriel Rubio, but I still predicted him to have the hardest path to securing a spot.
Here’s what I wrote then:
“Rubio could be one of the surprises of the class if he can remain healthy and quickly shows an aptitude as a pure nose tackle. The Steelers have hinted at moving Keeanu Benton back into more of a B-gap defender after he was played out of position for years under Mike Tomlin. Yahya Black also struggled with leverage in the nose tackle role, so an opportunity certainly exists for Rubio. Still, with Cam Heyward, Derrick Harmon, Benton, Black, and Sebastian Joseph-Day all essentially locks for the roster, Rubio will need to beat out at least one member of a veteran group that includes Esezi Otomewo, Dean Lowry, and Logan Lee to make the roster, if not all of them. Rubio’s injury history and relative anonymity — demonstrated by how sparse the information one could find about him in draft guides and during the draft’s broadcast — make a stint on the taxi squad likely for him.”
I recently touched on this topic again in “The Feed,” which you’ll find on BTSC’s homepage, but it’s safe to say I have gained much more confidence in Rubio in that time. For starters, Lee has been placed on injured reserve yet again, making one less competitor for Rubio to overcome. Lowry has a history with McCarthy, but hasn’t been a player that’s really stood out too much. Neither has Otomewo.
Both players are defensive linemen who provide more upside as pass rushers from the B-gap. Rubio, on the other hand, is a player who provides a skillset I would argue the Steelers depth chart is otherwise lacking: a run stuffer with the ability to line up as a nose tackle as well as elsewhere on the line.
It’s perhaps foolish to make a decision based on a single preseason game, but knowing that skill set, I can’t help but be more impressed by what Rubio showed in last week’s contest.
If these three have similar results against the Jets on Friday, I would move the rookie above the veterans in the pecking order if I were McCarthy. As I mentioned in June, Heyward and Benton give you the most juice as pass rushers, and I have optimism that Harmon can add to that element of his game in year two. Black remains an intriguing physical matchup, but until he shows more consistency with his leverage, I’m not sure he’s better at the nose tackle position than Rubio is right now. I think there’s an easy argument that Rubio is the Steelers fifth- or sixth-best defensive lineman on the roster, and barring a really poor showing in the next few weeks, I’ll now be more shocked if he doesn’t make the team.
But even if I’m wrong, this game against the Jets should be huge for all three players. If the Steelers are only keeping six defensive lineman, that means one of these three will have to seize it. If the Steelers keep seven or more, it will be because Rubio, Lowry, and/or Otomewo’s performances left them no other option.
Safety
RB: With both Jaquan Brisker and DeShon Elliott out against the Packers last week, veteran Rayshawn Jenkins and rookie Robert Spears-Jennings saw most of the “starting” playing time, and looked like serviceable backups for the most part.
Both were excellent coming downhill, with Jenkins recording two tackles, both near the line of scrimmage, and Spears-Jennings recording three, including an impressive tackle for loss.
Jenkins, who you could argue has a strong chance at the final roster at this point given his experience, primarily played the strong safety role, while Spears-Jennings was given more free safety reps. Playing deep zones, the athletic Oklahoma product didn’t look quite as comfortable. While his closing speed can pop off the screen, Spears-Jennings still wasn’t the most smooth or instinctive as a centerfielder, which matches analysis of his play coming out of college. Of course, I’m nitpicking his first-ever NFL snaps here — there’s plenty of time to grow.
What is still apparent, however, is that while the Steelers have no shortage of strong safeties, there’s a worrying lack of true free safeties on the roster at the moment.
Due to that lack of varying skill sets, I think the current storyline with the position group has as much to do with the total number of spots available for safeties on the 53-man roster as it does the players vying for those spots.
In past years, the Steelers have kept anywhere from three to five safeties on the initial 53. This season, assuming Jalen Ramsey is off the PUP list by September, his ability to start anywhere in the secondary further disincentivizes the team from keeping an additional safety, especially given the roster’s superior depth at cornerback.
That means there’s a chance Jenkins is the only true backup safety the Steelers keep, and the team simply stashes Spears-Jennings, and a name such as 2025 undrafted free agent Sebastian Castro, on the practice squad to start the season.
Something I found interesting is that Spears-Jennings only saw special teams reps on field goal defense units in his preseason debut, while Castro and even Jenkins saw more varied usage on units such as punts and kickoffs throughout the Packers matchup. The third phase of the game, as mentioned above in the running back section, is essential for backups’ 53-man roster chances; if Spears-Jennings continues to see limited snaps there, it could hurt his odds even if he’s a more promising defender than Castro.
The next two preseason games will be important, not only for Pittsburgh’s reserve safeties to separate themselves from the rest of the pack in terms of defensive play, but also on special teams. Still arguably the team’s thinnest position group, there’s a lot that could change at safety — keep in mind that the recently-signed Israel Mukuamu logged a sack against Green Bay, and Jack Henderson saw personal protector reps on special teams. Other names could enter the roster conversation. It’s wide open.
Join in on Steelers R&R by sharing your takes on this week’s topics. Feel free to pitch future questions in the comment section or on Twitter/X: tag @_Ryland_B or @ArmchairScout21, or email us at steelersreadnreact@gmail.com.
