The Pittsburgh Steelers played their preseason finale on Thursday night and lost by a score of 28-27 against the Buffalo Bills. This wasn't a loss like the second preseason game against the New York Jets where the Steelers were shut out as there was a decent amount of positives to take from this matchup with Buffalo. A lot of younger guys got extended looks and impressed, but the roster was already mostly decided going into this game. There are a few position groups that remain a mystery, one of which is running back. It is still up in the air how many the team will keep, and who might be the third or fourth running back on the depth chart.
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Pittsburgh Steelers running back Eli Heidenreich during 2026 training camp at Saint Vincent College in Latrobe, PA.
Jaylen Warren and Rico Dowdle are the obvious leaders at running back. They will each start a fair amount of games in 2026, and they are expected to work in a 50/50-ish split during the season. It is currently unclear who will be behind them on the depth chart. Lew Nichols has impressed, but he is a perfect candidate for the practice squad as the Steelers probably do not need to worry about him being scooped up by another team. The other two names to consider are Kaleb Johnson and fan-favorite Eli Heidenreich.
Johnson has been a disappointment so far in his career after being a third-round pick in 2025, while Heidenreich has had a quiet training camp and preseason. He scored in the preseason finale on Thursday night, but up until then there wasn't much to look at. Beat writer Mark Kaboly spoke about him on a recent episode of Kaboly + Mack, and he shared why Heidenreich might make the roster.
"There's an outside possibility of Heidenreich getting in there," Kaboly said. "Just because, it all depends on Heidenreich, because there's a team out there that could use a running back of that caliber, or of that stature, and their coach's name is Kyle Shanahan. Because I don't know how much longer Christian McCaffrey is going to last here. Maybe that interests Shanahan as a project."
Throughout the pre-draft process Heidenreich was often compared to Christian McCaffrey. A lot of people chalked that up to them both being white running backs, but they do have very similar measurements and a similar playing style. They each are capable receivers and move with the same level of agility.
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49ers' Christian McCaffrey takes a handoff from Brock Purdy during a road game against the Seattle Seahawks in 2025.
Kaboly was hinting at the San Francisco 49ers and Head Coach Kyle Shanahan potentially being interested in Heidenreich. That doesn't mean they would trade for him, it just means Pittsburgh needs to be careful when it comes to cutting the rookie in an attempt to move him to the practice squad. He would have to clear waivers first, which would give San Francisco the opportunity to scoop him up if it wanted to.
Heidenreich has shown no signs of being some superstar, but Shanahan's offense is very friendly and explosive. He could view the rookie as a project of sorts, and that could end up working out. The Steelers may have to keep him on the active roster in order to ensure that he stays in Pittsburgh and doesn't get picked up by another team after being cut.
Steelers' Kaleb Johnson Could Be On His Way Out
It is hard to imagine the Steelers keeping more than three running backs on the roster in 2026, but it is also hard to imagine the team giving up on a third-round pick in Johnson. He didn't impress in his rookie year, so there is a real chance he gets cut this weekend. Nichols has probably been the best back out of the players behind Warren and Dowdle, while Travis Homer could also make a strong case due to his experience and abilities on special teams.
What do you think about other teams potentially being interested in Heidenreich? Let me know on X, @brogannoey!
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