The Pittsburgh Steelers have officially released their initial 53-man roster to begin the 2026 season, and there are certainly a few surprises to start off. The biggest shocker was run-stuffing linebacker Elandon Roberts getting released despite having a great preseason. Meanwhile, as many reports said, Pittsburgh did opt to keep four quarterbacks on the 53-man roster, as opposed to using the Injured Reserve (IR) loophole to keep Will Howard around. Even with all the surprises, odds are that Pittsburgh will enter Week 1 with a much different looking roster.
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Pittsburgh Steelers quarterback Will Howard (18) during 2026 training camp at Saint Vincent College in Latrobe, PA.
However, the Steelers have used both of their IR spots for the 53-man roster cutdown. In the same press release that announced all of the moves they made, it was also revealed that safety DeShon Elliott and offensive tackle Jack Driscoll were placed on IR, but they are still designated to return. For now, neither of them will count for the current roster.
With this designation, both players will have to miss the first four games of the season, as opposed to the entire year. The terminology can be confusing, as "designated to return" usually means that they can still practice, but that opens up a 21-day window. The Steelers can't open up that window for Elliott or Driscoll yet, as the timing of it all would not line up at all.
Driscoll was fighting for a spot on the 53-man roster throughout training camp, so with the recent trade of Broderick Jones, it looked like he could backdoor his way onto the team as the last-string tackle. The fact that they put him on IR as opposed to just releasing him with an injury settlement shows how highly Pittsburgh thinks of him, as it does not want to lose him whenever he is ready to return.
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Pittsburgh Steelers safety DeShon Elliott (25) during 2026 training camp at Saint Vincent College in Latrobe, PA.
Losing Elliott hurts a lot. He is a big ball of energy that is also used as a source of communication on the back end, and his physical style of play has helped him become a fan favorite. Losing him in the 2025 season was a massive blow to the defense, so Pittsburgh is anticipating that he heals up quickly so he can be ready for the long gauntlet to end the 2026 campaign.
Elliott started slow in training camp while he was still recovering from that 2025 injury. He ended up playing in Pittsburgh's Preseason Week 2 game, but that was the last time he was seen on the field. He reportedly dealt with soreness after the exhibition, which is clearly bad enough to put him on IR and have him miss the first four games of the season.
The Steelers placed S DeShon Elliott and OT Jack Driscoll on IR designated to return. They'll miss the first four games of the season at least. Elliott played against the Jets in Week 2 of the preseason, but Mike McCarthy reported the following day he had some "soreness."
— Ray Fittipaldo (@rayfitt1) August 30, 2026
Hopefully, this is just a precautionary move. It's better to get him at 100% and have him on the field for the final 13 games than to have him start Week 1 at 75% and have him deteriorate from there. It's unclear exactly how severe this reported soreness, but we can only hope for the best. For now, Pittsburgh will need their guys to step up and try and play as physically as he does.
Steelers Also Kept Former Seventh-Round Pick On The PUP List
In 2025, the Steelers drafted cornerback Donte Kent to hopefully provide some depth at cornerback and maybe even compete for a return man role. However, he has dealt with injuries nonstop ever since training camp began that year, and he is beginning the 2026 season on the Physically Unable to Perform (PUP) list. He will also have to miss the first four games, but odds are he misses more.
What do you think about the Steelers that are on IR? Let us know on X at @Steelers_ChrisB.
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