CJ Lester
SteelerNation.com
The dust has settled, the draft has concluded, and free agency has come and gone. On Thursday, the NFL released all 32 teams’ schedules for the upcoming 2020 season. With the schedule release taking place, the excitement has built up and everyone’s anticipation for the start of the season is at its highest. The Pittsburgh Steelers filled holes in their roster through free agency and the NFL Draft. Let’s take a look at how the team’s opening roster may look heading into Week 1 of the regular season to take on the New York Giants, but before we get started, I want to clear the misunderstanding of the new CBA. Yes, the new CBA does allow for each team to have a 55-man roster at the start of the season, but that doesn’t mean what everyone is thinking it means. From my understanding, teams are going to have the roster space to add two additional practice players during each week of the season. Since, the game day active roster has increased to 48 players, this provides teams with more roster flexibility in case of an injury. So, let’s be clear about this, team’s will still open the 2020 season with a 53-man limit for their initial roster.
Quarterbacks:
Ben Roethlisberger
Mason Rudolph
Paxton Lynch
Breakdown: Steelers head coach Mike Tomlin and GM Kevin Colbert have expressed many times this off-season that they are satisfied with the depth behind future Hall of Famer Ben Roethlisberger. I believe that that was a vote of confidence for Mason Rudolph. They have expressed feeling comfortable with Rudolph as Ben’s backup. The wild card here for me is Paxton Lynch taking over as QB3. Near the end of the season, during a weekly press conference, Tomlin spoke about Lynch’s preparedness and spoke highly of Lynch’s pedigree as a former 1st round pick. I can see Lynch beating out Devlin "Duck" Hodges for the 3rd quarterback spot on the roster.
Running Backs:
James Conner
Benny Snell
Jaylen Samuels
Anthony McFarland
Breakdown: These are all locks in my mind, unless Trey Edmunds wows the coaching staff during training camp and the entire preseason process. Even if that were to happen, Edmunds would be added to this list and another player at another position would have to be bumped.
Fullback:
Derek Watt
Breakdown: Not much competition here, Watt is our fullback!
Wide Receivers:
Juju Smith-Schuster
Diontae Johnson
James Washington
Chase Claypool
Ryan Switzer
Deon Cain
Breakdown: The first 4 receivers are locks to make the roster. I was really on the fence about Switzer, but I think his experience and time within the organization will help him. In the end, he will stay as a backup slot receiver and the team’s return man. As far as the last spot goes, I gave the spot to Deon Cain. In 2019, the Steelers were plagued with injuries all over the roster and wide receiver was one of the positions hit. When injuries piled up, Cain was added to the team’s roster, and only produced positive plays in his minimal opportunities. Whether it was one of the five passes he caught for 72 yards, or on the receiving end of a defensive pass interference call. He was only targeted six times, so yes, that means every time Cain was targeted, something positive happened for the Steelers offense. He gets the spot as the team’s 6th receiver.
Tight Ends:
Eric Ebron
Vance McDonald
Zach Gentry
Breakdown: This tight end group is all locked up barring an injury.
Offensive Line:
Maurkice Pouncey
David DeCastro
Alejandro Villanueva
Matt Feiler
Stefen Wisniewski
Chukwuma Okorafor
Zach Banner
Kevin Dotson
Breakdown: In all reality, all eight of these offensive linemen are most likely going to be locks to make the final roster. I could see the team potentially using a roster spot on an additional offensive lineman like their 2019 7th round selection, Derwin Gray, or the former XFL player Jarron Jones. If the Steelers were to carry 9 offensive linemen, another player in a different position group would get the boot. The Steelers would be okay carrying just 8 offensive linemen because of the additional roster flexibility that allows them to activate two additional players each week. If an injury were to pop up on the offensive line, the Steelers would be able to quickly address the need.
Defensive Line:
Cameron Heyward
Stephon Tuitt
Tyson Alualu
Chris Wormley
Isaiah Buggs
Carlos Davis
Breakdown: The only thing worth noting here, I have rookie DT Carlos Davis beating out Dan McCullers for the final spot on the defensive line. McCullers has had several opportunities throughout his time in Pittsburgh to showcase his skill set. He has shown average play at best occasionally, but Davis is an immediate upgrade over McCullers.
Outside Linebackers:
TJ Watt
Bud Dupree
Ola Adeniyi
Tuzar Skipper
Alex Highsmith
Breakdown: I decided to keep five outside linebackers in this projection. The only locks in my opinion are Watt, Dupree, and Highsmith. Skipper and Adeniyi could have their spots threatened by another player in a different position group if the team sees more of a need at a different position. It could come down to both players battling it out for the final outside linebacker spot if the team decides to carry just four players at the position. I don’t really see any other intriguing options behind Adeniyi and Skipper.
Inside Linebackers:
Devin Bush
Vince Williams
Ulysses Gilbert III
Robert Spillane
Breakdown: Not really much competition here, the first three are all locks. I chose to keep Spillane over some of the other options due to his contribution on special teams a season ago. Spillane played in just eight games and tallied 10 total special teams tackles (just six tackles shy of the league leaders). If he can provide the team with a consistent level of special teams play, he’ll get the nod here as the 4th guy in the room.
Safeties:
Minkah Fitzpatrick
Terrell Edmunds
Antoine Brooks Jr.
Jordan Dangerfield
Breakdown: The only two players in the group that I have as locks are Fitzpatrick and Edmunds. The other two spots are up for grabs. I think Brooks Jr. will turn some heads in training camp and the preseason to eventually earn the role as the team’s 3rd safety. I have Dangerfield beating out Marcus Allen and a few other intriguing options due to his ability to contribute on special teams. John Battle and Tyree Kinnel are two safeties that I considered for the remaining spot, but they would have to really impress during training camp and the preseason to earn that spot. If the team has to deal with an injury at either safety position, I would trust Dangerfield’s ability and experience over the other intriguing options, so he makes the cut here.
Cornerbacks:
Joe Haden
Steven Nelson
Mike Hilton
Cameron Sutton
Justin Layne
Trajan Bandy
Breakdown: I believe the Steelers will keep 6 corners on the initial roster, because they usually do. The first five are all locks in my eyes, so there’s one final spot up for grabs. I gave the last spot to undrafted rookie, Trajan Bandy. Bandy is a scrappy slot corner who is an excellent blitzer and great tackler. He has some technical issues that are definitely coachable, but with his size and underdog mentality that he plays with, my brain automatically compares his play to our very own Mike Hilton. I am only comparing his play style and traits to Hilton, but Bandy would have a really long way to go before being on the level of Hilton. However, Bandy could be a diamond in the rough for the Steelers and I am betting on him to earn that final cornerback spot.
Special Teamers:
Jordan Berry
Chris Boswell
Kameron Canaday
Breakdown: All locks to retain their spots for the 2020 NFL season. The team has brought in undrafted rookie P Corliss Waitman who could provide Berry with some competition as the team’s punter, but I don’t think he’ll be much of a threat.
How do you see the Steelers initial 53-man roster shaping up? Sound off in the comments section below, and on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram!
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