The Pittsburgh Steelers trimmed their roster to 53 players on Tuesday. Included in that group are four quarterbacks — at least for now.
Skylar Thompson’s strong showing in the preseason has earned him a roster spot. Rookie Will Howard is currently on the 53-man roster but may eventually be moved to injured reserve for roster flexibility.
The most surprising moves came in the secondary. The Steelers cut popular defensive back Beanie Bishop, corner James Pierre and safety Chuck Clark. They also placed Cory Trice Jr. on injured reserve and kept rookie slot corner Donte Kent, who missed all three preseason games due to injury.
Meanwhile, rookie inside linebacker Carson Bruener earned the spot over veteran Mark Robinson and punter Corliss Waitman won the job over Cameron Johnston.
A number of the players who were released on Tuesday could be back on the practice squad — and even elevated to the active roster on game days. So while some familiar names aren’t on the 53, it doesn’t mean we won’t see them this season.
Let’s take a deeper look at the roster:
Quarterbacks (4)
Aaron Rodgers, Mason Rudolph, Skylar Thompson, Will Howard
Cut: Logan Woodside
Thompson thrived in the preseason, completing 73.2 percent of his passes for 509 yards, four touchdowns and one interception. That performance helped him secure a spot — at least for now. The Steelers have some flexibility. If they need to add to another group, they could place Howard on injured reserve. At the same time, if another team is looking for a QB, perhaps Thompson could be available in a trade.
Wide receivers (5)
DK Metcalf, Calvin Austin III, Roman Wilson, Ben Skowronek, Scotty Miller
Cut: Robert Woods, Ke’Shawn Williams, Max Hurleman, Brandon Johnson, Lance McCutcheon
Theoretically, Woods’ fit into Arthur Smith’s offense as a willing blocker and a veteran voice. However, the 33 year old looked his age in the preseason. He caught just one pass for four yards in the three preseason games combined, making it no surprise to see him cut. Meanwhile, Miller’s connection with Rodgers has earned him a spot. Is this the group? Or will the Steelers add — either by claiming someone who was cut by another team or by trading?
Running backs (3)
Jaylen Warren, Kenneth Gainwell, Kaleb Johnson
Cut: Trey Sermon, Lew Nichols, Evan Hull
While Sermon surged in his final preseason game and has special teams value, the backfield has been set since the draft. The only uncertainty here is how the Steelers will split the carries throughout the season. Will Warren take advantage of his new RB1 status? Will it be by committee? Or will Johnson begin to become the bell cow by the end of the year?
Offensive line (9)
LT Broderick Jones, LG Isaac Seumalo, C Zach Frazier, RG Mason McCormick, RT Troy Fautanu, OL Spencer Anderson, C Ryan McCollum, OT Calvin Anderson, G/OT Andrus Peat.
Cut: Max Scharping, Dylan Cook, Doug Nester, Steven Jones, Aiden Williams, Julian Pearl
The starting five is set and backups Spencer Anderson and Ryan McCollum shouldn’t have felt too much heat on Tuesday. The main competition was for the final two spots. Andrus Peat, who signed in camp, has the pedigree as a 2015 first-round pick who appeared in three Pro Bowls. At 31 years old, he’s now a versatile backup who could be the first man off the bench at guard, based on how he played in the preseason. Calvin Anderson was hurt through camp, but was the best swing tackle when healthy. He recently returned to practice.
Tight ends/ fullback (4)
Pat Freiermuth, Jonnu Smith, Darnell Washington, Connor Heyward
Cut: JJ Galbreath, Kevin Foelsch
The Steelers ran the most 13 personnel (one back, three tight end) plays in the NFL last year and plan to lean into the tight end position even more this year. Heyward’s special teams contributions and versatility gave him the edge over Galbreath. With two of the top 10 highest-paid tight ends on the roster, Smith should have plenty of talent to run his tight end-centric offense.
Defensive line (8)
Cameron Heyward, Keeanu Benton, Derrick Harmon, Yahya Black, Daniel Ekuale, Logan Lee, Isaiahh Loudermilk, Esezi Otomewo
Cut: Domenique Davis, Kyler Baugh, Kenny Willekes
Otomewo, who played in nine career games with the Vikings and Jaguars over the last two seasons, was one of the more surprising players to make the 53-man roster. However, with Harmon dealing with a sprained MCL, perhaps the Steelers felt they needed more depth in the trenches.
Outside linebackers (4)
T.J. Watt, Alex Highsmith, Nick Herbig, Jack Sawyer
Cut: DeMarvin Leal, Eku Leota, Julius Welschof
Cutting Leal is a reminder of how poorly the Steelers drafted at the end of the Kevin Colbert era. The only remaining members of the 2022 draft class are Austin and Connor Heyward. Kenny Pickett, George Pickens, Leal, Mark Robinson and Chris Oladokun have all been traded or cut in recent years. When it comes to the group itself, there are no surprises here. The only question is if Herbig will be healthy by Week 1 after injuring his hamstring.
Inside linebacker (5)
Patrick Queen, Payton Wilson, Malik Harrison, Cole Holcomb, Carson Bruener
Cut: Mark Robinson
Robinson’s see-ball, hit-ball approach made him a flashy player earlier in his career. While he was a solid special teams player, he was never consistent enough on defense to be part of the conversation in a meaningful way. The Steelers chose to get younger by keeping Bruener, who will earn most of his playing time on special teams as he works toward more.
Defensive backs (8)
CB/SAF Jalen Ramsey, CB Darius Slay, CB Joey Porter Jr., SAF DeShon Elliott, SAF Juan Thornhill, CB Brandin Echols, SAF Miles Killebrew, CB Donte Kent
IR (designated to return): Cory Trice Jr.
Cut: Chuck Clark, James Pierre, Beanie Bishop, Sebastian Castro, Daryl Porter, D’Shawn Jamison, Mikey Victor, Quindell Johnson, Kyler McMichael, Cameron McCutcheon, Kam Alexander
Perhaps the most unexpected cut of all came from this group. Clark was taking first-team reps recently, as Thornhill dealt with an injury. However, the Steelers chose to keep rookie slot corner Kent and place Trice on injured reserve. Clark and Pierre are not subject to waivers as vested veterans, so they will likely be back on the practice squad and might be elevated to the active roster on game days. Bishop is another strong candidate for the practice squad.
(Photo of Skylar Thompson: David Jensen / Getty Images)
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