{"id":188066,"date":"2026-05-09T13:56:24","date_gmt":"2026-05-09T13:56:24","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/188066\/"},"modified":"2026-05-09T13:56:24","modified_gmt":"2026-05-09T13:56:24","slug":"mccorkle-pittsburgh-steelers-2026-53-man-roster-prediction-pre-otas","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/188066\/","title":{"rendered":"McCorkle: Pittsburgh Steelers 2026 53-Man Roster Prediction (Pre-OTAs)"},"content":{"rendered":"

The Pittsburgh Steelers have largely finished filling their offseason roster, adding 10 draft picks, six undrafted free agents, and a few veteran reinforcements to fill out the 90-man squad. Now Omar Khan\u2019s attention shifts from acquiring talent to sorting through it starting this weekend with rookie minicamp<\/a>. How many members of the Steelers\u2019 2026 draft class will survive the final cuts?<\/p>\n

This first iteration is the time for bold predictions when we have very little information to work with. You\u2019ll notice a couple surprises in mine. Here\u2019s an early prediction of Pittsburgh\u2019s 53-man roster.<\/p>\n

Offense \u2013 25<\/p>\n

Quarterbacks (3) \u2013 Aaron Rodgers, Will Howard, Drew Allar<\/p>\n

Analysis: Rodgers hasn\u2019t signed, but the assumption has been all along that he eventually will. If he does, Mason Rudolph is as good at gone. I suppose they could stash him on the practice squad, if he\u2019s agreeable, to have at least one veteran with starting experience. Allar is a lock, and it would be a shock if the Steelers move on from Howard after they gassed him up all offseason.<\/p>\n

Running Backs (4) \u2013 Jaylen Warren, Rico Dowdle, Travis Homer, Riley Nowakowski (FB)<\/p>\n

Analysis: Kaleb Johnson was drafted for Arthur Smith\u2019s wide-zone scheme, and Smith is gone. Where will his opportunity come with Dowdle and Warren both on the roster through 2027? Johnson also serves no purpose on special teams. It\u2019s hard to move on from a third-round pick so soon, but how do you keep him on the roster while being mindful of special teams? Homer is too important in that area as a four-unit player who can serve as a personal protector on the punt unit.<\/p>\n

Wide Receivers (6) \u2013 DK Metcalf, Michael Pittman Jr., Germie Bernard, Ben Skowronek, Kaden Wetjen, Eli Heidenreich<\/p>\n

Analysis: Going out on a limb here with another surprise cut of former third-round pick Roman Wilson. He was lapped on the depth chart by Marquez Valdes-Scantling late last season and Aaron Rodgers clearly didn\u2019t trust Wilson. If Rodgers is back, Wilson is due for another year of not getting a helmet on game day. He provides nothing on special teams, so it\u2019s hard to justify his spot. Heidenreich makes it as the team\u2019s final seventh-round pick because he can play RB and WR (he\u2019s listed as both on its official roster) and a whole lot of special teams. Wetjen and Heidenreich give them multiple slot options to experiment with.<\/p>\n

Tight Ends (3) \u2013 Pat Freiermuth, Darnell Washington, Jaheim Bell<\/p>\n

Analysis: Freiermuth and Washington are locks, but the third tight end should be one of the more interesting spots on the roster this year. The team lists Nowakowski as a fullback, though he can play both. Jaheim Bell is another versatile option who can play TE, fullback, and H-back. McCarthy\u2019s favorite word seems to be versatility, so Bell makes sense here.<\/p>\n

Offensive Tackles (3) \u2013 Troy Fautanu, Max Iheanachor, Dylan Cook<\/p>\n

Analysis: Broderick Jones may contribute in 2026, but I am predicting him to start the season on the PUP list after reports of a setback with his neck injury. Fautanu, Iheanachor, and Cook are no-brainers, but will the Steelers keep a fourth pure tackle? Spencer Anderson, Gennings Dunker, and maybe even Steven Jones can play the position in a pinch, so I\u2019ll stick with three. This would presumably go back to four if\/when Jones is healthy.<\/p>\n

Interior Offensive Linemen (6) \u2013\u00a0Zach Frazier, Mason McCormick, Gennings Dunker, Brock Hoffman, Spencer Anderson, Ryan McCollum<\/p>\n

Analysis:\u00a0Frazier, McCormick, and Dunker are set in stone. Anderson and Hoffman provide experience and familiarity with a chance to win the Week 1 starting LG job. McCollum has been solid as Frazier\u2019s backup when needed.<\/p>\n

Defense \u2013 25<\/p>\n

Defensive Ends (5) \u2013 Cameron Heyward, Derrick Harmon, Yahya Black, Esezi Otomewo, Kevin Jobity Jr.<\/p>\n

Analysis:\u00a0I have Rubio as the only draft pick not to make the 53-man roster. Otomewo was solid in limited action and has experience with the rest of the group. The last spot comes down to Rubio, Jobity, and Logan Lee. Jobity offers a little more pass-rush upside and could flash enough in camp to win a spot at the back of the depth chart.<\/p>\n

Nose Tackles (2) \u2013 Keeanu Benton, Sebastian Joseph-Day<\/p>\n

Analysis:\u00a0Both are virtual locks and should play a large number of snaps in this defense.<\/p>\n

Outside Linebackers (4) \u2013 T.J. Watt, Alex Highsmith, Nick Herbig, Jack Sawyer<\/p>\n

Analysis:\u00a0Nothing should change here from last year. It\u2019s one of the deepest and most talented position groups on the entire roster.<\/p>\n

Inside Linebackers (5) \u2013 Patrick Queen, Payton Wilson, Cole Holcomb, Carson Bruener, Brandon George<\/p>\n

Analysis:\u00a0Let\u2019s include a rookie minicamp tryout player. One or two usually make the 90-man roster, and it\u2019s not unheard of for them to also make the initial 53. George is one of the most athletic linebackers<\/a> to come out of the draft in a long time. And unlike most athletic linebackers, you don\u2019t have to sacrifice size with him standing 6032 and weighing 246 pounds. He went undrafted and was impressing in Kansas City last year before an injury derailed his rookie season. Malik Harrison was signed to be a force in the run game, but he didn\u2019t do that very well last year. To me, he\u2019s expendable. Bruener is a core special teamer and should be considered darn near a lock for the initial 53-man roster because of it.<\/p>\n

Cornerbacks (5) \u2013 Joey Porter Jr., Jamel Dean, Brandin Echols, Daylen Everette, Asante Samuel Jr.<\/p>\n

Analysis:\u00a0With the addition of third-round rookie Daylen Everette, fringe guys like Cory Trice Jr. and Donte Kent should have a hard time making the roster given their extensive injury histories.<\/p>\n

Safeties (4) \u2013 Jalen Ramsey, DeShon Elliott, Jaquan Brisker, Robert Spears-Jennings<\/p>\n

Analysis:\u00a0The top three should be considered locks, which leaves an intriguing battle between Spears-Jennings and Sebastian Castro. The upside on defense is higher for the rookie, and I think he offers enough on special teams to edge out Castro, especially with other special teams guys like Homer, Bruener, Skowronek, and Sawyer already on the roster.<\/p>\n

Special Teams \u2013 3<\/p>\n

Kicker (1) \u2013\u00a0Chris Boswell<\/p>\n

Analysis:\u00a0Boswell should soon sign an extension that makes him the league\u2019s most expensive kicker. And it\u2019s well-deserved. This one is obvious.<\/p>\n

Punter (1) \u2013\u00a0Cameron Johnston<\/p>\n

Analysis:\u00a0Pittsburgh\u2019s rookie minicamp roster includes three punters, so this isn\u2019t a shoo-in. But Johnston is the clear favorite if he can stay healthy after back-to-back injury-plagued seasons at 34 years old.<\/p>\n

Long Snapper (1) \u2013\u00a0Christian Kuntz<\/p>\n

Analysis:\u00a0Pittsburgh has always given Kuntz competition, and this year is no different. But he is under contract through 2026 and should keep his job for at least one more season.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"The Pittsburgh Steelers have largely finished filling their offseason roster, adding 10 draft picks, six undrafted free agents,…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":188067,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[9],"tags":[73,75,74,1833,995,7666],"class_list":["post-188066","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-pittsburgh","tag-pittsburgh","tag-pittsburgh-headlines","tag-pittsburgh-news","tag-pittsburgh-steelers","tag-trending","tag-weekly"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/188066","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=188066"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/188066\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/188067"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=188066"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=188066"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=188066"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}