Behind the Steel Curtain
We’ve finally reached the same month as Steelers training camp, with players reporting to Latrobe on July 28.
There, narratives will start to take shape regarding the team’s camp battles ahead of the preseason, and eventually, when rosters are cut down to 53 players on Aug. 30.
Before then, here are four Steelers players who have legitimate chances at the final roster, even if they currently remain somewhat “forgotten” on the current 90-man roster:
The Steelers’ top six at wide receiver seems fairly set entering training camp, but don’t rule out surprises. Maybe the new coaching staff doesn’t value Ben Skowronek or Roman Wilson as much as expected. Maybe Kaden Wetjen doesn’t run away with the starting return man job after all. And, of course, being six deep only lasts as long as all six can stay healthy.
The point is, while this might be an easy position room to map out for the 53-man roster at the moment, a lot could still change between now and cutdown day.
One wide receiver who would benefit from a spot opening up higher on the depth chart is A.T. Perry. A sixth-round pick by the New Orleans Saints in 2023, Perry managed a respectable 246-yard, four-touchdown rookie campaign, but he’s failed to log an NFL catch since.
After spending most of 2024 and 2025 with the Denver Broncos, Perry is now hoping to keep his NFL career alive with the Steelers, who he signed a futures contract with in January.
Perry has impressive measurables: nearly 6’4 at 205 pounds with 33 1/4″ arms. He also ran a 4.47-second 40-yard dash at the 2023 NFL Combine. Those are tools that can keep you in the league, and if Perry can add some sort of special teams aspect to his game (zero career NFL special teams snaps, which also explains his lack of roster time after his rookie year), he might suddenly become a contender for WR6.
Outside of the well-paid duo of Pat Freiermuth and Darnell Washington, the Steelers’ tight end room is a bit of a mystery. Come cutdown day, could the Steelers simply roll with rookie Riley Nowakowski as a hybrid TE3/fullback? Or will the team keep three tight ends and a fullback?
Mike McCarthy’s Cowboys chose that latter in 2024. And if that’s the case again in 2026, it opens up an interesting roster battle behind Freiermuth and Washington. In that scenario, veteran tight end and former Packer Robert Tonyan seems to be the favorite for the roster spot, with 1,550 career receiving yards, special teams experience, and, of course, a past rapport with Aaron Rodgers.
I almost included Tonyan in this article, but there’s a bigger sleeper in the Steelers’ current group of tight ends: Jaheim Bell. And compared to the 32-year-old Tonyan, the 25-year-old Bell has more youth and possible upside.
Bell spent 2025 on the Steelers’ and Eagles’ practice squads, but with the Patriots in 2024, he played in...
