Steelers way too early 53-man roster projection: One quarterback is left on the outside looking in after the 2026 NFL Draft
Here is a way too early shot at what the Pittsburgh Steelers’ 53-man roster might look like when the 2026 regular season begins.
The 2026 NFL Draft is over, and the Pittsburgh Steelers roster is overflowing with untapped potential, new names, and well-known veterans. So today, we are going to take a shot at predicting what the 53-man roster will look like come Week 1.
Note: Rookies are denoted with an asterisk.
Quarterback (3)
- In: Aaron Rodgers, Will Howard, Drew Allar*
- Out: Mason Rudolph
The skinny: I have trouble living in a world where the Steelers keep four quarterbacks on their roster, assuming that Aaron Rodgers returns. Because he is the most obvious candidate to start, with two young signal callers behind him, it’s Mason Rudolph who gets sent packing here.
Running backs (3)
- In: Rico Dowdle, Jaylen Warren, Kaleb Johnson
- Out: Travis Homer
The skinny: I know that some may have rookie Eli Heidenreich (arguably the Steelers’ most underrated pick) as an RB, but I have him as a WR in this exercise. Because of that, I think things stay status quo in the backfield, with Kaleb Johnson edging out Travis Homer.
Wide receiver (7)
- In: DK Metcalf, Michael Pittman Jr., Germie Bernard*, Roman WIlson, Ben Skowronek, Kaden Wetjen*, Eli Heidenreich*
- Out: Brandon Smith, Brandon Johnson, John Rhys Plumlee, Cole Burgess, A.T. Perry, Max Hurleman
The skinny: The Steelers WR room looks a lot different than it did after the playoff loss to Houston following the additions of Michael Pittman Jr. and Germie Bernard. A solid trio of wideouts to pair with Muth and Washington in Pittsburgh.
Tight ends (3)
- In: Pat Freiermuth, Darnell Washington, Riley Nowakowski*
- Out: JJ Galbreath
The skinny: The selection of Nowakowski in Round 5 was an underrated pickup in my opinion. He’s an old-school player who can align as both a TE and a fullback, and he plays with a ton of intensity.
Offensive line (9)
- In: Max Iheanachor*, Gennings Dunker*, Zach Frazier, Mason McCormick, Troy Fautanu, Broderick Jones, Spencer Anderson, Dylan Cook, Brock Hoffman
- Out: Jack Driscoll, Aiden Williams, Doug Nester, Ryan McCollum, Steven Jones, Sataoa Laumea, Lorenzo Thompson
The skinny: The Steelers went into the draft with the plan of building up the left side of the offensive line, and it’s safe to say they have done just that after the Iheanachor and Dunker additions.
EDGE (4)
- In: T.J. Watt, Alex Highsmith, Nick Herbig, Jack Sawyer
- Out: Julius Welschoff, KJ Henry
The skinny: Not much has changed in this department. Well, nothing at all really, as the Steelers held on to both Alex Highsmith and Nick Herbig despite some of the rumors swirling before the draft.
Defensive Lineman (6)
- In: Cam Heyward, Derrick Harmon, Keeanu Benton, Yahya Black, Sebastian Joseph-Day, Esezi Otomewo
- Out: Dean Lowry, Logan Lee, Gabriel Rubio*, Jahavaree Ritzie, Kyler Baugh, Anthony Goodlow
The skinny: The only pickup from the draft here was Gabe Rubio, but I don’t see him having much of a role with the Steelers. Maybe that changes when camp nears, and he edges out Otomewo, but that feels like a stretch.
Linebackers (5)
- In: Patrick Queen, Cole Holcomb, Payton Wilson, Carson Bruener, Malik Harrison
- Out: NA
The skinny: The Steelers didn’t add anyone to their inside backer core, so I think we could see every player on the roster make the team.
Cornerbacks (6)
- In: Joey Porter Jr., Jamel Dean, Jalen Ramsey, Daylen Everette*, Asante Samuel Jr., Brandin Echols
- Out: Donte Kent, Cory Trice Jr., Daequan Hardy, D’Shawn Jamison, Doneiko Slaughter
The skinny: The addition of Everette is one of the sneakier ones in the Steelers class in my opinion. He has dominant traits and length that the Steelers covet on the outside.
Safeties (4)
- In: Jaquan Brisker, DeShon Elliott, Robert Spears-Jennings*, Sebastian Castro
- Out: Jack Henderson
The skinny: The addition of RSJ in round seven was an underrated addition. He is probably the only player in that room who has the true range to play centerfield safety, evidenced by his 4.3 speed.
Special teams (3)
- In: Chris Boswell, Cameron Johnston, Christian Kuntz
- Out: Cal Adomitis
The skinny: Nothing to add here, as the Steelers returned Cameron Johnston at punter during free agency.