Steelers Now Have An Unexpected Trade Piece As Roster Cutdowns Approach

The Pittsburgh Steelers wrapped up their 2025 preseason by taking down the Carolina Panthers on Thursday night by a score of 19-10. The team now has some time before the season opener against the New York Jets in Week 1, and the final construction of the roster will be taking place before then. The team has to be cut down to the final 53 players by Tuesday, August 26th. General Manager Omar Khan will be active during that time, as he may be trying to trade some players, or acquire players from other rosters. 

The Steelers have some players that impressed during the 2025 preseason that likely won't be making the final roster, and those are the players Khan may look to move in order to bring in some additional draft capital. These players include either Skylar Thompson or Mason Rudolph, as Thompson impressed and certainly made the case to jump Rudolph on the depth chart. Another player to watch is kicker Ben Sauls, who made quite an impression throughout the preseason. This was noticed by Panthers beat-writer Mike Kaye, who believes Pittsburgh could trade Sauls.

Interestingly enough, the Panthers are a team that could be inquiring about a kicker. Their current starter is former Steeler Matthew Wright, who missed his only preseason field goal attempt. Behind him is rookie Ryan Fitzgerald, who made his only attempt. Sauls went four for four in Carolina on Thursday night, including a 50-yarder. He was obviously comfortable in the stadium, and he could be an option for Carolina if they are not confident in either of their current options.

Sauls did miss one field goal during Pittsburgh's second preseason game against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, but looking back on the play, the miss was due to a bad hold. He was forced to kick the laces as the holder did not spin the ball properly, which led to the miss.

The Steelers always bring in competition at the key positions on special teams. There was likely no kicker that was going to take Chris Boswell's job as he has consistently been one of the best kickers in the league, but this is a perfect example of why teams bring in competition, even if they already have a reliable kicker. The Steelers can now use Sauls to possibly acquire more picks, which is beneficial in the long run. 

Pittsburgh may also be in a position to ship off one of the other special teams pieces on the roster. When punter Cameron Johnston went down in Week 1 of the 2024 season, the organization was forced to bring in Corliss Waitman, and he impressed throughout the year. Johnston makes more money and is arguably the better punter, but some teams around the league could use a player like Waitman. Waitman and Sauls could end up garnering some draft capital for the Steelers, which may make Khan look like a genius.

Steelers May Draw Interest From Several Teams For Ben Sauls' Services

A kicker is not going to be traded for anything too valuable, but a Day 3 pick is something the Steelers will happily take for a player who would otherwise be cut or added to the practice squad. A team like Carolina could be interested, especially after watching how Sauls played in their stadium. Another team with a questionable situation at kicker is the Cleveland Browns, although a deal between those two teams is unlikely unless the Browns want to pay a premium for an in-division deal.

Pittsburgh could also wait a bit to see if any organizations are dealing with health issues at the position, which could pave the way for a deal to get done. Sauls proved he could be a kicker in the NFL, and he will probably be kicking somewhere in the NFL at some point during the 2025 season.

What do you think about the Steelers being able to trade Sauls? Let us know in the comments below!

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