Behind the Steel Curtain
Predicting the Pittsburgh Steelers’ 53-man roster
The Pittsburgh Steelers report for training camp on Wednesday and will hold their first practice on Thursday. With that said, now feels like the best time to predict what the final 53-man roster will look like come Week 1, so let’s get into it.
Nothing shocking here. Aaron Rodgers is the guy in 2025, while Rudolph and Howard will be QB2 and QB3, respectively. Skylar Thompson gets relegated to the practice squad or let go altogether.
Warren will be the top running back on the roster, but Johnson will get an increasing number of touches as the weeks go on. Gainwell will be the No. 3 change-of-pace back while Sermon predominantly plays on special teams.
The Steelers have over $32 million in cap space remaining, so another move or two feels likely before Week 1. Cooper would be a fine No. 2, and an upgrade over all options they currently have. DK Metcalf is the obvious No. 1. Austin will be the slot guy, while Wilson can rotate on the boundary and the slot. Woods will be better than what Mike Williams was, but he’s not going to put up huge numbers or high snap counts. Skowronek will be the ace at gunner and fill in when needed at receiver. Scotty Miller will begin the year on the practice squad.
Freiermuth and Smith will be receiving options above anything else. Smith especially - don’t ask him to run block. Washington is an extension of the offensive line that we’d all love to see get more targets, but I won’t believe it will happen until I see it.
Again, no surprises here. Both Andersons will serve as backups, with Spencer Anderson being the swing tackle. Scharping will serve as the predominant interior reserve. Perhaps Dylan Cook gets called up, depending on injuries. The starting five is unquestioned, which is a nice change from the last several years when there’s been at least one position up front that featured a camp competition.
Heyward, Benton, and Harmon could be the best defensive line in the NFL. Lowry proved to be a solid depth piece in 2024, and Loudermilk was brought back on a one-year deal to continue being a rotational piece. Ekuale played in 16 games for the Patriots in 2024 and registered 52 tackles, so expect him to be one of the top reserves.
My bold prediction is that Herbig...
