Steelers Winners and Losers from Preseason Week 3: Will Howard’s struggles continue while rookie weapon quiets all the doubters
The Pittsburgh Steelers put a bow on the 2026 preseason on Thursday night. The next time they’re on the field, the regular season will have started. But before we get there, let’s take a look at the winners and losers from the finale.
The Pittsburgh Steelers wrapped up their 2026 preseason with a finale in Buffalo losing 28-27. The bubble players who needed one last chance to make an impression delivered a mixed bag. With 53-man roster cuts just days away, Thursday night’s game clarified some decisions for the coaching staff while raising new questions about others.
Steelers 2026 preseason
- Week 1 vs. Green Bay Packers (28-9 W).
- Week 2 vs. New York Jets (17-0 L).
- Week 3 at Buffalo Bills (28-27 L).
Winners
Robert Spears-Jennings continues what has been a tremendous preseason and training camp. The seventh-round rookie out of Oklahoma has been making plays all summer, and Thursday was no different. He was the lone bright spot on the very first drive as Buffalo marched down the field. His 4.32 40-yard dash time shows up on the field. He flies around and makes a ton of plays. I like this guy.
Germie Bernard found the end zone early for Pittsburgh. The touchdown counted as a rushing score, though it was more of a flick from quarterback Will Howard. Similar to what we saw in preseason Week 1, get the ball in Bernard’s hands and he goes to work. He is exactly what we thought he was going to be coming out of Alabama. He’s a YAC monster who can manufacture touches on smoke screens, bubbles, and tosses. Give him the ball and watch him run over, around, and through people. He is that good.
Kevin Jobity made something of a homecoming, hailing from upstate New York. The defensive lineman faces an uphill battle to make the roster, but he recorded a sack early in the game and looked excellent as a depth piece.
Elandon Roberts has only been with the Steelers for about two weeks, and he continues to make plays. You can tell it’s varsity versus JV when he’s out there. He’s a good linebacker who should be a strong depth piece. Expect him to make the 53-man roster.
Lew Nichols and Eli Heidenreich both stood out among the depth running backs. Nichols can do a little bit of everything: special teams, pass protection, and carrying the football. Heidenreich scored his first touchdown in a Pittsburgh Steelers uniform, capping off an excellent drive with a toss play.
Kaden Wetjen nearly ended up on the losers list after struggling with his return game early, dropping catches and running into the back of one of his blockers. But then he showed why Pittsburgh used a fourth-round pick on him. A 44-yard punt return for a touchdown displayed the vision, contact balance, and burst that made him a draft pick. That one play flipped him squarely into the winners column.
Losers
Will Howard lands here for back-to-back weeks. The interception this time, unlike the two he threw in the previous game, is harder to pin on him. He clearly expected his target to be where he threw the football, and they were not. He airmailed a pass straight to Bills safety Damar Hamlin. The truth is, though, some of the sacks he takes are simply because he holds on to the ball for far too long. He has to learn to give up on the play, whether that means escaping the pocket, throwing it away, or putting it in the dirt. He takes too many sacks, and Thursday was not a good showing.
Part of that falls on the offensive line. Broderick Jones continues to whiff on too many blocks. He plays with bad posture, bad pad level, and gets beat at the point of attack. The younger linemen struggled as well. Max Iheanachor, Dylan Cook, and Gennings Dunker all had issues. Iheanachor flashed a good rep on the Heidenreich touchdown but gave up a bad sack and drew holding calls in pass protection. Dunker and Cook had similar problems. Troy Fautanu only played in one game this preseason, so the sample size is limited, but the offensive line is a question mark after three preseason games, in my opinion.
Doneiko Slaughter and Daylen Everette, young members of the defensive backfield, had their struggles at times. Hopefully those guys can continue to grow. In Slaughter’s case, we’ll see if he even makes the team.
The bottom line
The preseason is over, and real football is two weeks away. The Steelers have roster decisions to make, and Thursday night’s tape gave the front office plenty to evaluate. Spears-Jennings, Bernard, and Roberts look like locks. The offensive line, on the other hand, needs significant improvement before Week 1.
