The Pittsburgh Steelers set their initial roster on August 30th ahead of the start of the 2026 NFL regular season. While the 6:00 PM ET deadline came and went, there is still time to make moves to the roster and it is not necessarily the final version of the team that will be put out by new head coach Mike McCarthy. The Black and Gold have no shortage of rookies on their roster, especially following the 2026 NFL Draft in which they had three third-round picks. However, some insight was just given about a couple of rookies who could be left off the final roster.
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Steelers' Mike McCarthy speaks with an official during his first time coaching the Steelers in the preseason.
The Steelers ultimately decided to keep all four of their quarterbacks on their initial 53-man roster. Now that the chatter surrounding that has quieted down, there is still some speculation about other position groups. Amongst rookies that made it were defensive lineman Kevin Jobity Jr., as well as versatile offensive playmaker Eli Heidenreich, who was listed as a wide receiver and a running back on the first roster reveal.
Jobity came as a bit of a shock by making the roster, but Heidenreich's versatility gave him a strong chance to make it ahead of this past Sunday's deadline. On Monday, ESPN team insider Brooke Pryor joined 93.7 the Fan in Pittsburgh to discuss the roster, as well as other storylines surrounding the team. They are now just under two weeks from kickoff and Pryor specifically mentioned Jobity and Heidenreich as guys that may not make it to Week 1.
“When I look at Jobity Jr., he’s a guy that yes, he did have a really impressive preseason and training camp, especially as a late camp add,” Pryor said. “But he’s someone on the defensive line that I could see being waived and ends up coming back to the practice squad. Even like an Eli Heidenreich as good as he was, especially scoring in that last preseason game, he’s someone I could see ending up on the practice squad eventually because I don’t see a game day role for him at this point.”
Jobity appears to be the more likely candidate to not make the final cut, especially considering that the team has seven defensive linemen currently. With others such as Keeanu Benton, who the franchise extended this offseason, that makes the path even tougher for playing time. Then you add in the 2025 first-round pick Derrick Harmon and the chances the Syracuse rookie does make the final roster becomes even more unclear following Pryor's comments on Monday. The more interesting player amongst the two named is the guy that was known as the "Swiss Navy knife" due to his playing days in college.
Steelers Have Interesting Choice To Make With Heidenreich
For an offensive-minded head coach like McCarthy, he is known to want to have as many weapons at his disposal as possible on the field to run a potent unit on that side of the football. While these comments from Pryor make it seem like the former Midshipman does not have a role when it comes to game days for the team, the system he is in could make him a perfect candidate to stay on the final roster, even if he would just be on the field for gadget plays.
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Steelers' Eli Heidenreich stands on stage after being drafted by the team in the seven round of the 2026 NFL Draft.
He was able to find the end zone with a rushing touchdown in the final preseason game against the Buffalo Bills. He finished with nine carries for 35 yards, but was not used as a wide receiver despite also playing that position during his college days. He may ultimately end up being left off the final roster before Week 1 of the regular season, but his versatility at least gives him a fighting chance to stay on it following the announcement of him making the initial cut.
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