With a little under three weeks away from the start of the NFL Draft, teams have begun to shift their focus from the craziness of the Tampering Period/Free Agency, to finalizing their Draft boards before the first selection is announced on April 25th.

The Steelers can sign up to 90 players to the team throughout the offseason, through Training Camp, and into the Preseason.

Players have been split into their respective field groups, listed by position and totaled together. I’ve included summary notes of interest regarding position groups, and players of interest. I will also be including players mentioned by trusted sources that have not yet signed their deal, but are expected to sign shortly.

As Omar Khan continues to be unpredictable throughout the offseason, we will continue to update this article weekly up until the 90 man roster is set. Be sure to stay tuned to the Steel Curtain Network for updates!

Roster Breakdown

Key:

New players are listed in BOLD

Underlined name denotes players expected to make the Final 53

* denotes player who has position flexibility

**UPDATED 3/31/24**

Offense

Total # of Players: 35

Quarterback (3) – Russell Wilson, Justin Fields, Kyle Allen

Running Back (4) – Najee Harris, Jaylen Warren, Aaron Shampklin, Jack Colletto

Tight End (4) – Pat Freiermuth, Darnell Washington*, MyCole Pruitt, Connor Heyward*, Rodney Williams

Wide Receiver (10) – George Pickens, Calvin Austin III, Cordarelle Patterson*, Van Jefferson, Quez Watkins*, Dez Fitzpatrick, Marquez Callaway, Keilhan Harris, Denzel Mims, Deuce Watts

Offensive Tackle (8) – Broderick Jones*, Dan Moore Jr, Spencer Anderson*, Tyler Beach, Dylan Cook, Kellen Diesch, Devery Hamilton, Anderson Hardy

Offensive Guard (4) – James Daniels, Isaac Seumalo, Nate Herbig*, Joey Fisher

Center (1) – Ryan McCollum

Notes of Interest:

• On Jeff’s “Let’s Ride” podcast on Monday, he made a good point about the Steelers being interested in Brian Allen, but the Steelers not necessarily needing to be desperate about getting him due to his medicals. I happen to agree with this, and look for the Steelers to bring him in soon and get a deal done. The Center position is still sticking out like a sore thumb. I don’t for one second believe that the Steelers are satisified in any way with where they are at with the position, and I also don’t believe they are as comfy as they would like everyone to believe about it.
• With Alfonzo Graham’s release, it is apparent that the Steelers ARE comfy with letting Cordarelle Patterson take the RB3 spot, at least in name. Patterson’s position flexibility will make him more valuable as a KR/PR first, a WR second, and as Najee/Warren’s backup third. But as the Steelers are putting the roster together, they have more flexibility when they put him at RB3 than say, WR4. This type of roster flow also shows up where players like Connor Heyward also have flexibiliy within Smith’s offense, being classified as either a TE or FB (H-Back).
• How many Steelers fans are going to lose their ever-loving minds when Pittsburgh takes a Wide Receiver in Round 1 instead of an Offensive Tackle later this month? It’s starting to look more and more like a real possibility. I, for one, am open to the idea, but it really DOES restrict when and where they can then find a Center or Offensive Tackle. Then again, maybe we really SHOULD listen to Khan and Tomlin when they say that they aren’t as worried about Offensive Tackle as the rest of us fans seem to be.

Defense

Total # of Players: 36

Defensive Tackle (6) – Cam Heyward, Montravius Adams, Isaiah Loudermilk, Larry Ogunjobi, Jonathan Marshall, Jacob Slade

Nose Tackle (1) – Breiden Fehoko

Defensive Line (1) – Keanu Benton*

Defensive End (2) – Demarvin Leal, Dean Lowry

EDGE (7) – TJ Watt, Alex Highsmith, Nick Herbig, David Perales, Tyler Murray, Jeremiah Moon, Kyron Johnson

Inside Linebacker (4) – Patrick Queen, Cole Holcomb, Elandon Roberts, Mark Robinson

Cornerback (8) – Joey Porter Jr, Donte Jackson, Darius Rush, Cory Trice Jr, Kalon Barnes, Luq Barcoo, Thomas Graham Jr, Josiah Scott

Safety (7) – Minkah Fitzpatrick, DeShon Elliott, Damonte Kazee, Miles Killebrew*, Jalen Elliott, Nathan Meadors, Trenton Thompson

Notes of Interest:

• The Steelers definitely need an injection of youth into the Defensive Line. I think that they also need to commit to a philosophy regarding their 3-4 Base Defense. Pittsburgh has not had a true run-plugging, block-eating mammoth of a man in awhile, and their run defense statistics have shown that. However, it also doesn’t mean that they have been horrible, it just hasn’t been to Pittsburgh Steeler Steel Curtain standards that most of us have come to expect. “Bend but don’t break” doesn’t need to be their philosophy. Steel doesn’t bend, and neither should the run defense if they call themselves the “Steel Curtain.” That starts with a Top Shelf Nose Tackle.
• Is inside Linebacker still on the Draft table? Holcomb and Roberts coming off injuries, and also not getting any younger. Robinson getting passed up by both due to lack of progression. I can see where the Steelers might take a flyer on one in the 4th Round. Brian Trotter Jr, Ty’Ron Hopper, or Jaylan Ford are targets at that area.
• Cornerback is one position that seems to be ok in terms of depth, but could still see a Draft selection in the early rounds to inject some more talent.
• Could the Steelers take a Safety even though they have 3 proven Vets already on the roster?

Special Teams

Total # of Players: 3

Long Snapper (1) – Christian Kuntz

Punter (1) – Cameron Johnston

Kicker (1) – Chris Boswell

Notes of Interest:

No news for this group is actually good news. No injuries, no drunken fights with a towel dispenser, etc…

Recap

Offensive Players: 35

Defensive Players: 36

Special Teams Players: 3

Total Number of Rostered Players: 74

Total Number of Roster Spots Available: 16

With the release of Graham and the signing of Pruitt, the overall numbers haven’t changed, and Pittsburgh is still at 7 Draft picks when the NFL Draft commences on April 25th. This leaves the Steelers with a presumptive 9 roster spots to fill once the Draft concludes.

It gets easier to see how they will get to 90 bodies when you consider that Undrafted Free Agents will get signed in the hours and days following the Draft. Last season, Pittsburgh signed 6 UDFA’s to their squad immediately following the Draft, including David Perales, who is still with the team this year. Sounds like a Draft prep UDFA prospect article is probably forthcoming. Stay tuned!

So how do YOU feel about how the roster is shaping up? What kind of Draft plans do you think the Steelers have for April 25th, and how they are going to fill the last remaining spots on the roster? Let me know in the comments below!