As the dust of the offseason settles, and we sit just eight days removed from the Steelers’ first game of the season, I figure now’s as good a time as any to take a trip around the division and speculate how the Steelers might fare against the competition

The Steelers released their initial 53-man roster on Tuesday, and I’m going to deliver some quick thoughts on that. However, it’s important to remember that this thing is not set in stone, and you can bet top dollar that things are going to look a slightly different week one, but more on that later.

After losing Fautanu for the year last year, I thought we were staring down the barrel of little-to-no reps for our first-round pick for a second consecutive year, but it seems as though we’ve dodged a bullet.

Thankfully, he spoke specifically about being eager to see the starters in the secondary get some reps together in an effort to aid in their “cohesion” and “communication”. Assuming nothing happens to derail that, we should get our first look at JPJ, Jalen Ramsey, Darius Slay, and DeShon Elliot together in a game-like setting.

He’s physically talented enough to kinda freeze offensive linemen and move them out of his way to play the run. He can certainly improve above the shoulders, and I have no doubts he will, but that ability to impose his will is why we spent a first rounder on him. I love it.

On Thursday, the Steelers and Buccaneers got together in Pittsburgh for a joint practice ahead of their preseason week two matchup tomorrow evening. In these final days leading up to the regular season, I think these joint practices against unfamiliar faces are absolutely critical to team development, and I’m happy that the Steelers participate in them.

With training camp now in the rearview mirror, we’ve gained a pretty good understanding of what our 53-man roster will look like. Of course, there will still be some parody over the next few weeks with some of those fringe guys, but the top-end talent on this team is undeniable and it has forced me to revisit my expectations for this team.

• Idk how many of yinz were relegated to the Jaguar’s broadcast team for this game, but holy shit that was painful. 

As excited as I am to be gearing up for an actual Steelers football game, some of the more exciting (potential) storylines have already been removed from the equation due to injury, or coaches' decisions. Players that will not be suiting up include: Aaron Rodgers, T.J. Watt, Cam Heyward, Jalen Ramsey, Alex Highsmith, Nick Herbig, Isaac Seumalo, and more.