Steelers Now Have Great Chance To Undo Multiple Questionable Decisions

Many fans of the Pittsburgh Steelers were perplexed at some of the decisions that the team made during the roster cutdown period. As many analysts have stated, the current 53-man roster will likely not be the exact same once Week 1 officially kicks off. For example, the Steelers never carry four quarterbacks on the roster, and they rarely ever have eight defensive linemen. With that alone, there are two players that could be removed from the roster quickly to free up a spot for someone else. The Steelers are reportedly trying to trade Skylar Thompson as one of those moves. 

On the day after the 53-man rosters were finalized, every player that was claimed off waivers officially joined their new team. The Steelers seemingly made zero waiver claims, so their lineup stays the same for now. However, none of the players that Pittsburgh waived got picked up either. That means that the team can bring back the players it let go of, whether it's to the active roster or its practice squad. 

The first and most obvious option is slot cornerback Beanie Bishop Jr., who had four interceptions in his rookie season. For the most part, he held his own during the 2024 season, but that did not stop the Steelers from adding Brandin Echols and Jalen Ramsey to beef up at that position. They also drafted Donte Kent in the seventh round last April, and he ended up getting the last roster spot over Bishop. 

In fact, the Steelers have officially brought Bishop back on Wednesday to the practice squad, and when a spot opens up, then they can officially put him on the active/inactive 53-man roster. He has shown some upside during his rookie season, so he definitely deserves another chance to prove himself. It is to be determined if he will be activated immediately or if he will be called up every now and then. 

With injuries to Kent and Calvin Austin III, the Steelers have not had the ability to give their current rostered players a chance to work in the return game. The Steelers may not even want Austin to return punts, as he is one of the starting receivers. That means that there is some incentive for Pittsburgh to sign receiver/return man Ke'Shawn Williams to the practice squad with the chance to elevate him for Week 1. (Editors note: Williams has been signed to the practice squad.)

Williams took nearly all of the punt returns for preseason, and he did well overall. His workload compared to everyone else's is exactly why he should be brought back to the team. For a team that takes pride in special teams as much as the Steelers do, it would not make sense to have their starting return man be someone with almost no reps throughout the month of August. 

Steelers Can Also Still Bring Back Veterans That Were Cut

Every NFL team is allowed to have six veterans on the practice squad. Letting go of one of the extra quarterbacks or defensive linemen could open up a spot on the roster, as mentioned before. The Steelers waited to see if any of their claims went through before making decisions on veterans, and since none of them did, there is one player in particular that they may want to bring back. 

Safety Chuck Clark was reportedly competing with Juan Thornhill for the starting job. Not only did he lose his role, but he was also outright cut from the team. He has not been signed yet, and he showed promise in preseason and in practice. For a team that is very weak on depth at that particular position, bringing Clark back would be a major boost to the team.

What do you think about the Steelers potentially bringing back the players they just released? Who would you re-sign? Let us know in the comments or on X at @Steeler_ChrisB.

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