The Pittsburgh Steelers fell to the Buffalo Bills 28-27 in their 2026 preseason finale. After jumping out to a 14-3 lead early in the first quarter, Bills quarterback Shane Buechele led a game-winning touchdown drive to give Buffalo the win. More importantly, we got to see pivotal performances from some players who had to make their final impressions before teams cut down to a 53-man roster this Sunday.
Let’s take a look at who improved their stock, and who hurt theirs during the Steelers preseason
finale.
Stock up:
WR Germie Bernard
After being held without a catch on his lone target last week, Bernard made the most of his one catch by scoring a first-quarter touchdown in the Steelers preseason finale. Bernard took a screen pass and made a move on former first-round pick Maxwell Hairston on his way to the end zone. Bernard has shown great ability after the catch throughout the preseason and will likely have a role with the starters at some point during his rookie season.
KR Kaden Wetjen
I’ll be completely honest here, when I was drafting this piece up during the second half I had penciled in Kaden Wetjen under the “stock down category.” Not five minutes after I did so, Wetjen made the play of the preseason with a 45-yard punt return touchdown. The rookie fourth-round pick went backwards on two of his punt returns in the first half and had struggled throughout the preseason until that moment. That play all but secures Wetjen a roster spot as the Steelers’ primary return man.
OT Max Iheanachor
The Steelers’ 2026 first-round pick made his long-awaited NFL debut after missing a few weeks with a shoulder/neck injury. Iheanachor was almost immediately blown by and gave up a sack on his first series on the field. Later, the rookie was flagged on a very questionable call for a hold.
In the second half, Iheanachor made a phenomenal downfield block to clear the way for rookie running back Eli Heidenreich to stroll into the end zone. For limited reps in a debut, Iheanachor showed serious promise, and given the struggles by the Steelers’ starting line this preseason, he could become a starter sooner rather than later.
Stock down:
QB Will Howard
Will Howard threw his third interception of the preseason in the first half on what was clearly a miscommunication between Howard and his tight end Lake McRee. Whether Howard or McRee is more at fault is unclear, but Howard’s sloppy handling of the ball will almost certainly cost him the backup job. Pocket presence also seems to be a major area of concern for Howard. Too many times in this game, Howard either did not step up in the pocket and get sacked, or tried to extend the play for too long and got sacked. The second-year quarterback did throw two touchdowns early in the contest after being put in favorable positions due to a muffed punt and a shanked punt by Buffalo. Howard’s future with the Steelers will be dependent on whether or not the team decides to keep four quarterbacks on the 53-man roster.
RB Kaleb Johnson
After pacing the team in carries last week touched the ball just five times for 11 yards in this contest. After solid performances by Lew Nichols and Eli Heidenreich, any glimmer of hope for Johnson to make the roster may have dissipated. The 2025 third-round pick will be in danger of being cut when rosters are finalized by Sunday at 6 p.m.
OT Dylan Cook
Read into this how you will, but Dylan Cook started this game at left tackle despite being slated to start at right tackle this season. It was Broderick Jones starting at right tackle. Cook did end up playing some at right tackle, and even played into the second half. It seems like the Steelers are at least considering the idea of not starting Cook to begin the season. Given Cook’s struggles throughout preseason and Iheanachor’s solid debut, it seems to only be a matter of time before Cook loses his starting spot.
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