The Pittsburgh Steelers made a handful of questionable decisions during roster cutdown day, even though they tried to rectify some of them by bringing certain players back to the practice squad. Their initial 53-man roster was obviously not the finished product, as the team rarely ever carries four quarterbacks, along with other unusual aspects to the roster. Many are now just waiting on more moves to be made to see how Pittsburgh truly feels about their players, both on and off the team currently.
Karl Roser / Pittsburgh Steelers
Steelers General Manager Omar Khan picks up the phone in the team's war room during the 2023 NFL Draft weekend.
During a recent press conference, Head Coach Mike Tomlin gave an update on the plans for the changes to the roster after all the waivers had cleared and the practice squad had been solidified.
Mike Tomlin said he anticipates more moves to come, including some placed on IR, when the transactions deadline hits at 4pm.
— Brooke Pryor (@bepryor) August 27, 2025
Chuck Clark's locker was intact in the Steelers' locker room, so would seem to suggest bringing the safety will be one of those moves.
There has been numerous rumors of quarterback Will Howard starting the season on Injured Reserve (IR) to keep Skylar Thompson around for the first four weeks of the season. The other IR idea is Donte Kent, who went through some drills on Wednesday, even though he was not in uniform and officially practicing with the team
Source: The Steelers will bring back Chuck Clark and Max Scharping and place Will Howard and Donte Kent on short-term IR.
— Mark Kaboly (@MarkKaboly) August 27, 2025
At the very least, getting safety Chuck Clark back is a huge plus, as the safety depth is already weak. Seeing him cut was a massive surprise, especially since he was reportedly competing for the starting job. He was likely given a contract offer the moment he was released, and now that players are going to IR, he will be brought back to play a likely big role as a rotational piece. As far as Howard, insider Mark Kaboly provided more clarity on his situation.
With the Steelers putting rookie QB Will Howard on short-term IR, it's more of a concern about getting his shoulder in shape because of a lack of throwing (now 22 days) than the actual broken bone in his hand at this point. pic.twitter.com/jQ4vi7f3fZ
— Mark Kaboly (@MarkKaboly) August 27, 2025
Bringing back guard Max Scharping is a little bit of a surprise, as he would be the 10th offensive lineman on the roster. It definitely feels like that spot could have been used elsewhere like at cornerback or wide receiver. Either way, the Steelers still clearly value him enough to not let him go, even after he was released. Like with Clark, he likely had a deal in place with Pittsburgh right as he got released.
Jordan Schofield / SteelerNation (X: @JSKO_PHOTO)
Steelers offensive lineman Max Scharping (64) during 2025 training camp in Latrobe, PA.
Steelers' Injured Reserve Choices May Be Questioned
There is video evidence of Howard and Kent working on the practice field to try and get back into the swing of things in recent days, albeit in street clothes. What's odd is that the Steelers opted not to use both of their pre-cutdown IR spots, as Cory Trice Jr. was the only one to be given that designation.
What do you think about the Steelers' projected roster moves? Let us know in the comments or on X at @Steelers_ChrisB.
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