Projected Depth Chart

By CJ Lester

SteelerNation.com

Last week, I provided my projected 53-man roster and how I thought the Pittsburgh Steelers’ roster would shape up after final cuts are made after the pre-season. With my 53-man roster projection being complete, the next step would be to analyze my projected roster and see how the depth chart falls into place with training camp position battles and pre-season performances. We all know that initially rookies are going to start at the bottom of the barrel of their respected positions. This is something that we see year in and year out, especially for the Steelers. Those rookies will have to earn their playing time! How will our depth chart look before the first week of the regular season? Let’s take a look at how it could shape up for the Steelers.

Quarterbacks:

Ben Roethlisberger

Mason Rudolph

Paxton Lynch

There really aren’t any notable battles that are going to take place at the quarterback position. Future Hall of Fame QB, Ben Roethlisberger, is set in stone as QB1, and with remarks made by the higher ups in the organization, QB Mason Rudolph is likely set to be QB2. The competition at the QB position will most likely be for a roster spot with QB Paxton Lynch and QB Devlin "Duck" Hodges battling it out for the QB3 spot. That will be an intriguing battle to keep an eye on during training camp and the pre-season.

Running Backs:

James Conner

Benny Snell

Anthony McFarland

Jaylen Samuels

The position battle that might be the most intriguing to watch could be the running back room. We all know that barring injury, James Conner will be the Day 1 starter and most likely Benny Snell will be the back-up. GM Kevin Colbert has expressed that he really wants to improve the run game this season. The Steelers added several offensive linemen during free agency and the draft, but the team also added a very talented running back out of Maryland. Anthony McFarland can provide a different skill set to the running back room that is unlike the other players already on the roster. McFarland is a home-run threat out of the backfield. The battle to watch here is between Jaylen Samuels and Anthony McFarland. I believe by the end of the pre-season, McFarland will take over as RB3 for the Steelers. He should wow the Steelers in training camp and earn more reps as the season goes on.

Fullback:

Derek Watt

Look for Watt to be involved in this offense. Whether it will be leading the way for our running backs or more involved as a utility fullback, Watt will be involved!

Wide Receivers:

Juju Smith-Schuster

Diontae Johnson

James Washington

Chase Claypool

Deon Cain

Ryan Switzer

There will be several battles to make the 53-man roster, but the most notable battle within the depth chart could be rookie WR Chase Claypool vs. the room. We all want to see how Claypool will stack up against NFL talent. Claypool should start Week 1 as WR4 for the Steelers behind Juju Smith-Schuster, Diontae Johnson, and James Washington. Another intriguing battle within the room could be Johnson vs. Washington to see who will be the Steelers’ WR2. Johnson finished up a strong rookie season last year and is looking to take over the number two spot. Washington finished up with a strong campaign as well, leading the team in receiving yards in a year the team struggled to pass the ball due to poor QB play. I have Johnson winning that competition and starting the season as WR2 because he is a much more dynamic playmaker. Johnson is a yards-after-catch kind of receiver and it will surely be fun to watch Big Ben throw him the ball next season. At the bottom of the WR depth chart, I have Deon Cain as WR5 and Ryan Switzer as WR6. Cain is versatile and can play all the receiving positions, whereas Switzer is likely just a back-up slot receiver.

Tight Ends:

Eric Ebron

Vance McDonald

Zach Gentry

Due to Eric Ebron’s playmaking ability, I have him as the Day 1 starter and look for him to be there all year barring injury. I actually think the Steelers will use a lot more two tight end sets this year with two very capable playmaking tight ends. Gentry will be TE3.

Offensive Line:

Left Tackle: Alejandro Villanueva

Left Guard: Stefen Wisniewski

Center: Maurkice Pouncey

Right Guard: David DeCastro

Right Tackle: Matt Feiler

Swing Tackle: Zach Banner

Chukwuma Okorafor

Kevin Dotson

Not much has changed from a season ago, but long-time Steelers LG Ramon Foster retired and the spot at left guard is open to set up an interesting camp battle. I have Stefen Wisniewski earning the starting nod as of right now, unless Chukwuma Okorafor or rookie guard Kevin Dotson are able to persuade the coaching staff with their performance during training camp and the pre-season. Dotson is still raw, so that will give Okorafor the upper hand as the Steelers back-up guard in case an injury occurs to either Wisniewski or DeCastro. Swing Tackle isn’t really a position on the depth chart, but when the Steelers lined up in a “heavy set” last season, the team relied heavily on Zach Banner. Banner performed really well and look for him to continue to improve. Who knows, Big Ben may find the extra tight end in the end zone for a big man touchdown sometime this upcoming season.

Defensive Line:

Left Defensive End:

Stephon Tuitt

Tyson Alualu

Right Defensive End:

Cameron Heyward

Isaiah Buggs

Nose Tackle:

Chris Wormley

Carlos Davis

Both end spots are locked down with defensive stars Cam Heyward and Stephon Tuitt. However, we do need to look out for who will replace Javon Hargrave at nose tackle, since the former Steeler signed with the Philadelphia Eagles. In my depth chart, I have the newly acquired, Chris Wormley, replacing Hargrave as the base defense nose tackle. The team really likes for their defensive linemen to be versatile, meaning they should be able to play all three positions on the defensive line. I know, it is incredibly weird to not see a true traditional nose tackle at that spot, but teams are really getting away from that type of player at the position. With how my roster ends up, the only true nose tackle on the team would be rookie Carlos Davis. Davis has a very intriguing skill set, but is still raw, so that will give Wormley the upper hand to earn the starting spot. The Steelers like to rotate their defensive linemen to keep fresh players on the field during long drives, so it is possible to see any combination of three defensive linemen on the field at the same time.

Outside Linebackers:

Left Outside Linebacker: TJ Watt

Right Outside Linebacker: Bud Dupree

3^rd Outside Linebacker: Alex Highsmith

Depth:

Ola Adeniyi

Tuzar Skipper

The pre-season battle to watch out for will be rookie Alex Highsmith vs. Ola Adeniyi vs. Tuzar Skipper. These three will battle it out to see who could be that third guy that comes in to spell the two starters, TJ Watt and Bud Dupree. I decided to give Highsmith the nod over both Adeniyi and Skipper. If you have watched any of Highsmith’s collegiate tape, you would see how much more talented he is than Skipper and Adeniyi. Of course, both veteran players have experience on their side, but Highsmith’s entire skill set is much better than both players. As long as Highsmith can learn quickly and adapt to playing against NFL talent, he will be the Steelers 3^rd outside linebacker.

Inside Linebackers:

Devin Bush

Vince Williams

Ulysses Gilbert III

Robert Spillane

Devin Bush and Vince Williams will be your starters next season. As far as someone taking over the hybrid role that was held by LB Mark Barron last season, I could see Ulysses Gilbert III taking over that role and earning more snaps as the season goes on. I don’t really think Robert Spillane will get much playing time as the 4^th inside linebacker unless there is an injury, but look for him to be a key contributor on special teams.

Safeties:

Free Safety:

Minkah Fitzpatrick

Jordan Dangerfield

Strong Safety:

Terrell Edmunds

Antoine Brooks Jr.

Both starting safety positions are locked up in my eyes with Minkah Fitzpatrick at free safety and Terrell Edmunds at strong safety. As for the depth behind those two, I have the long-time veteran Jordan Dangerfield backing up Fitzpatrick at free safety and the rookie Antoine Brooks Jr. as the back-up strong safety. No real position battle will take place at either safety position, but Dangerfield and Brooks Jr. will battle it out to see who the team’s third safety will be in three safety looks. I give Brooks Jr. the nod in this situation due to his ability to both play the pass and stop the run. He is a much better athlete and open field tackler than Dangerfield and that will be enough to earn that 3^rd safety spot.

Cornerbacks:

Joe Haden

Steven Nelson

Mike Hilton

Cameron Sutton

Justin Layne

Trajan Bandy

With Joe Haden still continuing to play at a high-level, Steven Nelson locking down the other outside corner spot, and Mike Hilton dominating as a top slot cornerback, the team’s top corner spots are already in their hands. Cameron Sutton played quietly and had a phenomenal season last year and I look for him to continue to improve making him the next man up at any of the corner positions. Behind Sutton, we will look to see how Justin Layne improves and he will likely be a contributor on special teams. Lastly, Trajan Bandy will battle it out to just make the initial roster. The undrafted rookie out of Miami plays with a chip on his shoulder and is a very good slot cornerback. He will back-up Hilton and Sutton as the team’s third string slot corner.

Special Teams:

Punter: Jordan Berry

Kicker: Chris Boswell

Long Snapper: Kameron Canaday

Kicker Returner: Ryan Switzer

Punt Returner: Ryan Switzer/ Diontae Johnson

No change at all here from a year ago. Switzer will be better and be the team’s primary kick returner and that will be the key for him to even make the initial roster. I have listed both Switzer and Diontae Johnson as punt returners because the Steelers will likely use Johnson to return punts in key moments. The team will most likely not use Johnson as the primary return man because he is much too valuable to the offense.

How do you see the Steelers’ depth chart falling into place before Week 1 of the regular season? Sound off in the comments section below, on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram!

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