Steelers' Winners And Losers From Final 2026 Preseason Game Against The Bills

The Pittsburgh Steelers had a very convincing win during the first week of the 2026 preseason in a matchup versus the Green Bay Packers. There were tons of positives to take out of the contest, but there were just as many negatives in the organization's second exhibition game against the New York Jets. On Thursday, the franchise traveled to play the Buffalo Bills in some final warm-up action with meaningful football beginning in a little over two weeks. It was a pivotal 60 minutes so that guys could prove to head coach Mike McCarthy that they can bring value to the roster.

In the 28-27 loss in Buffalo, there were plenty of storylines to pay attention to. For the Steelers, there were both winners and losers, as there have been throughout the month of August.

Steelers Winners

1.) Elandon Roberts

If you are a late-preseason signing and want a chance to make any roster, being a veteran and performing well will always put you ahead of the pack. On the Bills' first offensive possession of the game, Elandon Roberts stuffed a run on the initial play and then later was in the backfield once again on a red zone rushing attempt. 

His aggression and firepower gives him a great chance to make the team even though he was picked up later on in training camp. Bills announcer Steve Tasker even recognized the inside linebacker on the broadcast.

"He's been the heartbeat of the team so far tonight," Tasker said on NFL Network about Roberts toward the end of the second quarter.

It is fair to say that Cole Holcomb deserves a great deal of credit, too. While he didn't stand out as much as Roberts did, he played well and contributed in a very positive manner to the defense.

2.) Brandin Echols

After missing time due to injury, Brandin Echols showed that he can help the team on both defense and special teams in the first quarter. On a long third down in the red zone, Echols had tight coverage and a throw to the end zone was not close to being completed. 

Then, he was in the perfect place at the right time during a muffed punt, which he ended up recovering. This set up the Steelers' first touchdown of the night. He also acted as the key piece on a blitz that resulted in a sack on the final play of the first quarter.

3.) Lew Nichols

There's no guarantee that a former Packers seventh-round pick in 2023 will make the Steelers' 53-man roster in 2026. With that said, Lew Nichols showed up to play on Thursday evening. He single-handily brought Pittsburgh inside the five-yard-line on the offense's third possession of the contest, and the end result would end up being a score for the Steelers. He had three carries for 19 yards on the ground and a catch that went for 13 in the first quarter alone, but contributed more throughout.

4.) Germie Bernard

The Steelers need a third wide receiver to truly open up the offense. Germie Bernard may not have put much on tape against the Bills, but he had a nice red zone catch and run that ended up with him scoring. It may have been just one catch for 13 yards, but it's impossible to ignore the fact that the Steelers may have finally landed a legitimate pass-catching threat.

5.) Max Hurleman

There are some guys who give it their all in August but never really get the recognition that they deserve. Max Hurleman was a receiving threat against the Bills and could theoretically be someone who could sneak onto the roster depending on what McCarthy and his staff are thinking. 

Three catches for 50 yards was the Steelers' best receiving output of the evening. There are some politics that could come into play, however, as rookie Kaden Wetjen is a fourth-round pick who has a similar skill set to Hurleman.

6.) Cameron Johnston

It isn't the first time that Cameron Johnston has been named as a winner. During the Mike Tomlin era, the Steelers struggled with field positioning. Special teams success was skewed due to some blocked punts and Chris Boswell's success. Johnston has made a statement in the preseason and his average punt of over 50 yards proved that against the Bills.

7.) Mason Rudolph

It's impossible to ignore for the second week in a row that Mason Rudolph might not get enough credit for his veteran prowess and backup abilities. The Steelers need a reliable passer in the second spot who can step up and not crumble under pressure. Fans of the Steelers might want to start realizing that Rudolph is one of the best second-stringers in the NFL. Both Will Howard and Drew Allar were not that convincing in Buffalo. Allar also couldn't convert on a potential game-winning drive.

Steelers Toeing The Line

1.) Kaden Wetjen

The Steelers drafted 10 rookies back in April, and there have been ups and downs for all of them since. Versus the Jets, the return specialist in Wetjen was lucky to have a fumble play reversed, but the ball security concern quickly came to light. While he could potentially work in as a receiver, he was taken in the fourth round to be a dynamic return man.

The good thing for Wetjen is that a punt or kick return cures all, especially after having a rough start to his outing on Thursday. He had that big moment in the fourth quarter and it most likely solidified his spot on the roster. He has gone up against average competition; and has looked like a rookie, so he will need to continue to improve; but, his touchdown return can't be ignored.

Steelers Losers

1.) Kaleb Johnson

It's unfortunate for Kaleb Johnson that he got drafted into the situation that he did. Now, there is a new coaching staff for his sophomore season. Both Nichols and Travis Homer got offensive snaps prior to the second-year ball carrier seeing action against the Bills. 

Nichols seems to have the trust of the coaching staff currently, and there won't be anymore live action to prove oneself, so Johnson could very well be one-and-done with the Steelers. Even seventh-round rookie Eli Heidenreich got a carry before Johnson did. When the Iowa product finally did get some in-game reps, he didn't do anything worth noting.

2.) Right Tackles

Who the heck is going to play right tackle for the Steelers and be consistent while doing it? Broderick Jones, Dylan Cook and rookie Max Iheanachor all have issues to work out and there isn't much time to do so. Jones also had a terrible rep in the third quarter 

Iheanachor did have a nice lead block on a touchdown in the third quarter; however, that was arguably the most exciting right tackle moment of the evening. Come October, Pittsburgh may be looking for answers on the right side.

3.) Will Howard

It can easily be argued that all three of Howard's preseason interceptions were not entirely his fault. Additionally, he was under center for two touchdowns on Thursday. Despite all of this, his main goal entering training camp should have been to win over the backup job over Rudolph. Instead, that suddenly seems unrealistic. 

The two touchdown drives for the Ohio State product started in Bills territory, so the box score is a bit skewed in that regard. Howard isn't a loser because he isn't a NFL-caliber quarterback; he just hasn't done enough over his last two exhibition showings to warrant complete trust. Now, the Steelers will be tasked with making the unusual decision of keeping four signal-callers or releasing Howard outright because he didn't have performances that were nearly convincing enough.

4.) Malik Harrison

In what always seemed to be an easy way to open up some cap space, a release of Malik Harrison is now pretty much a guarantee. The veteran linebacker saw Roberts come in and essentially take his spot, but Holcomb also contributed to making McCarthy's decision easier. A dead cap hit of just over $2 million will occur, but the cap savings to counteract would be over $4.7 million.

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