Initial Thoughts on the Steelers’ 53-Man Roster
All 32 NFL franchises were required to trim their rosters down from 90 players to 53 players by 4:00 pm yesterday (August 27th, 2024). That means that a lot of dreams came true after yesterday’s deadline. However, on the flip side, some dreams got crushed as well. Let’s use this opportunity to remember that when we give our two cents on this shit, that we’re talking about human beings, and we should be thoughtful about that when we’re calling for people’s jobs.
With that being said, there weren’t very many surprises for our Steelers, after the deadline, when we were able to see the 2024 53-man roster. I have nothing but respect for guys like DB Zyon Gilbert and WR Jaray Jenkins, both of whom I thought really made a strong case for themselves in the final preseason game against the Lions, but didn’t quite make the cut. Even more shocking…WR Dez Fitzpatrick didn’t make the cut, who had a big play in every single preseason game. What the fuck is up with that? The situation with the 49ers is too volatile to be banking on acquiring Brandon Aiyuk, and I just can’t believe they didn’t give Fitzpatrick a jersey given the circumstances. As of right now, we’re going into week one with five WRs on the roster: George Pickens, Calvin Austin III, Van Jefferson, Scotty Miller, and Roman Wilson. Like most of yinz, I’m pretty comfortable with Pickens and Jefferson, but after that it starts to get EXTREMELY sketchy. So, I really hope the front office has a plan to bring in some outside help at WR, but I’m not holding my breath.
We’re really going to need the run game to be top tier if we’re looking to compete offensively with the upper echelon of the National Football League. No surprises at RB after the deadline. We’re heading into the season with: Najee Harris, Jaylen Warren, and Cordarrelle Patterson as the three RBs on the roster. Their success, or lack thereof, is going to largely depend upon this new offensive line that is currently littered with injuries. I was feeling so good about the offensive line as training camp progressed, but with injuries to Troy Fautanu, Dylan Cook, Nate Herbig (season-ending), and now Isaac Seumalo, paired with the issues that have been plaguing Broderick Jones, we’re suddenly extremely thin along our O-line. Thankfully, all of those guys, except Nate Herbig, should be available to us within the next month or so, but with so many new faces in the o-line room, that’s just going to slow down the process of building continuity as a unit. That’s extremely unfortunate, because, given the gauntlet we have ahead of us this season, we can’t afford a slow start if we have playoff aspirations. It remains to be seen who will fill in at guard for Isaac Seumalo while he’s out. It’ll surely be between Spencer Anderson and Mason McCormick. I assume Anderson will get the nod, because as good as McCormick can be, he has some pre-snap things he needs to clean up. Spencer Anderson has been solid as a rock throughout camp and preseason, so he should fill in admirably. Make no mistake about it though, we need Seumalo to come back strong for this line to reach the top-10 potential that I believe it has. Sidebar: The Steelers released FB Jack Colletto, which surprised me. He saw the field a lot during preseason, so I figured Arthur Smith appreciated the FB position and the value a traditional FB can bring, but he didn’t quite make it. It’s worth noting that Connor Heyward is no stranger to lining up as a FB.
On defense, yinz know what it is, man. I genuinely believe this defense is going to be a top five unit in the NFL if the offense can just not go three-and-out every time they take the field. Our linebacker room is the best in football, and you can just argue a wall…we do not care.
Our current makeup of DBs has a lot of yinz a little concerned, but I’m not. Beanie Bishop Jr. as the starting NB gives me cause to pause, but he made the 53-man roster, Pat McAfee gave him a glowing endorsement on his show, and Cameron Sutton will be back with us later this year. We know what Joey Porter Jr. is and can be, and it’ll be nice to watch him work with a real CB2 on the other side in Donte Jackson. Also, I’m so glad that I stayed on the Cory Trice train from last season all the way to now, and it’s paying off. The Steelers sat JPJ during their last preseason game vs. the Lions, allowing Donte Jackson to move to CB1 and Cory Trice Jr. to move to CB2 for that game, where he did an awesome job. If you asked AI to design the most perfect NFL corner in the world, it would spit out something extremely similar to Cory Trice Jr. If he can stay healthy, he’s going to be big time. Another Sidebar: I don’t think this loss will have any drastic effects on the defense, but I’m absolutely CRUSHED about Ryan Watts being placed on season-ending IR. I’ve been so hyped about him all summer, and it all came crashing down out of NOWHERE after he suffered a scary injury that was described as a “stinger”. That’s the first season-ending stinger I’ve ever heard of. He’ll be my Cory Trice Jr. when we do this offseason shit again next year. I hope and pray whatever he’s dealing with isn’t anything life-altering and he comes back ready to play some ball.
Yinz also have had a recent tendency to be critical of the depth at defensive line as well, but again, I’m just not worried about it. This room produced at such a high level in the preseason, and we hardly even saw our starters in there. Keeanu Benton and Cam Heyward are both going to be awesome this year. Demarvin Leal had some truly dominant moments in the preseason. I’m honestly surprised we hung onto both Logan Lee and Dean Lowry. I thought Logan Lee would be in, and Dean Lowry would be out. However, I’m not upset about it. We’re deeper there than you think.
Just go check out the names on our defense. I count six guys that are either superstars, or are on their way to becoming superstars, with a lot of depth in every position room, seemingly. This defense is ELITE. Our success will be measured based on what the offense is able to do, so our defense isn’t spending ⅔ of the game on the field. The amount of pressure on this offense to produce first downs and chew some clock is going to be immense from the very first snap of the year. To me, the offensive line, which I thought would be one of our strongest units entering the year, could wind up being one of our biggest liabilities, at least at the beginning of the year. I’d also like to see us add another WR, but that ain’t gonna stop Russell Wilson from being the most sacked quarterback in the history of the NFL. And, I’m only being like…..a little dramatic, which is saying something.
So, we know who we’re rocking with when we kickoff week one in Atlanta. Every fan is taking these next few days to nitpick what they like and dislike about their team’s 53-man roster, and that’s all I’m doing here. There’s still so much to talk about before that first game, though, including:
The Climax of the “QB Competition”
POWER RANKINGS: How do our Steelers stack up against the rest of the NFL?
What’s this team’s ceiling? What’s this team’s floor?
Week One: Steelers @ Falcons Pregame Thoughts
I’m stressed. My head hurts. I’m jittery. And, I wouldn’t change shit. ‘Tis the season. Here. We. Go.
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