The Pittsburgh Steelers have officially made it through the least rewarding part of the year: telling numerous players that they will not make it to the 53-man roster. The Steelers announced their final wave of cuts right around the 4:00 p.m. ET deadline. They had made some moves prior to the deadline, but they finish it off with the last of the roster moves.
Karl Roser / Pittsburgh Steelers
Steelers dynamic duo of Omar Khan and Andy Weidl will look to duplicate the 2023 draft class.
The Steelers released a post detailing all the players that have been released on roster cutdown day. There are a few surprises, and some of them will land on the practice squad.
Not real surprise as the Steelers get down to 53 pic.twitter.com/VHVYXu8KTY
— Mark Kaboly (@MarkKaboly) August 27, 2024
The Steelers tried to find a fit for John Rhys Plumlee, but the undrafted free agent quarterback could not make it as a Taysom Hill-type player. He could end up going to the UFL, as the Arlington Renegades drafted him in the first round of their draft. There were plenty of other "camp bodies" that lost their spot on the roster as well, but there are some very concerning moves that the team made too.
Steelers.com
Steelers' Pat Freiermuth works against Jeremiah Moon in training camp.
Jeremiah Moon seemed to have a spot on the roster once Markus Golden retired and DeMarvin Leal became more of a linebacker/lineman hybrid, as opposed to a regular edge rusher as suspected. Unfortunately, Moon has been placed on Injured Reserve (IR). On the bright side, the Steelers have him as one of the two players on IR that can eventually return in the season, along with Dylan Cook. Some of his teammates were not that lucky.
Ryan Watts was not expected to be a major contributor in his first year, but he was still seen as a guy that could make the roster and learn with the top guys. However, after suffering what Mike Tomlin described as a "stinger" at the end of the preseason, he has been placed on season-ending IR. He has officially lost his rookie season to injury. Hopefully, he will be able to return and make the 2025 roster.
%202023%20Camp%20Final%20with%20Logos/2L9A9052-544x306.jpg "Steelers Dez Fitzpatrick Isaiah Dunn")
Jordan Schofield / SteelerNation (X: @JSKO_PHOTO)
Steelers receiver Dez Fitzpatrick makes a catch over Isaiah Dunn during training camp.
Steelers' Surprising Cut
After having a few bad drops in training camp, Dez Fitzpatrick had a seemingly perfect preseason. He had great hands and looked to be a good fit for a team needing receiver depth. However, the Steelers opted to only keep five receivers, as opposed to six. Fitzpatrick will join Quez Watkins as a guy looking for a roster spot somewhere before Week 1. The Steelers could keep him on the practice squad, and after showing strides in preseason, he could eventually make a main roster in 2024.
What do you think about all the Steelers' cuts? Let us know in the comments.
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