Behind the Steel Curtain
We’re getting closer and closer to actual football, people. Can you feel it coming? In two weeks time we’ll be discussing the first real deal, all substance, no filler, football game action of the Pittsburgh Steelers’ 2025 campaign. Just 11 more days to go.
While we may still have a short wait until the season kicks off, the Steelers have not been idle. Last week, Ryan and Ryland each took a crack at predicting the final 53-man roster Pittsburgh would submit to be in compliance with league rules.
Now, in what is an annual tradition, they’ll look back at their short-lived predictions and take stock of what they got right, what surprised them, what moves could still be coming, and what this all means for the Steelers in the season ahead.
RP: There are always a few surprises when the Steelers announce their initial 53-man roster, but it’s important to remind our readers that the roster that gets submitted at the deadline is rarely the same roster that suits up in Week 1. Over the next few days, there is certain to be movement as teams comb through players that have been cut, sign players to their practice squad, and use injury designations to keep certain players around.
One of the biggest surprises has to be Donte Kent making the roster, despite long odds. Kent, a 23-year-old rookie cornerback drafted in the seventh round out of Central Michigan, missed most of the summer with injury and failed to appear in a preseason game as a result. While I was reading the writing on the wall about the eventual release of Beanie Bishop, Kent’s inclusion on the roster did throw me for a loop.
There’s a strong chance the Steelers could be navigating some waiver rule red tape with this move. While it’s a bit complicated, one popular theory is that Kent might be a candidate to go on injured reserve in a few days to allow Pittsburgh to sneak him past waivers. In that case, they might have a spoken agreement with Chuck Clark for him to return as the third safety.
As is, the Steelers only have three true safeties on the initial roster, and Miles Killebrew is around for his special teams’ prowess, not his ability in coverage. Jalen Ramsey will play the position in some capacity as the Steelers move him around in various packages, and perhaps that’s convinced the team they can be light at the position.
There’s also a possibility that the Steelers like Kent enough from their limited time with him, and if he can continue to practice in full, he might hold a spot while Cory Trice Jr. spends the first four weeks of the season on the IR with a designation to return.
Last year, Jalen Elliott and Darius Rush were two defensive backs who made the initial roster but weren’t around for long. My suspicion is that either Clark or...
