The Pittsburgh Steelers preseason has concluded, players have been analyzed, and the coaching staff has a plethora of difficult decisions to make. After a week where the backups made their final case for being on the 2017 Steelers roster, the secondary was improved by the signing of cornerback Joe Haden, and the front office traded for tight end Vance McDonald, the final roster will look vastly different than what was projected two weeks ago. The final Steelers 53-man roster projection for the 2017 campaign is set and loaded with surprise and talent.
Pittsburgh Steelers 53-man Roster Projection
Quarterbacks (3)
Ben Roethlisberger, Landry Jones, Josh Dobbs
Roethlisberger will be at the controls of one of the best offenses in the NFL. If Roethlisberger can manage to stay healthy, the sky is the limit. Red zone efficiency needs to improve over last season if they want to be the best offenses in recent memory.
Running backs (3)
Le’Veon Bell, James Conner, Terrell Watson
Watson is the surprise addition to this group, beating out Fitzgerald Toussaint and free agent signing Knile Davis. But the running back position is all about Bell. He’ll get 350 touches this season if he plays all 16 games. He’ll need to cash in on as many of those as possible to use them as leverage when it comes to negotiating a long-term deal with the Steelers brass.
Fullback (1)
Arguing with him is hard especially when there’s no competition. A converted defensive tackle, Nix is a sound blocker and contributor on special teams.
Wide Receivers (7)
Antonio Brown, Martavis Bryant, Sammie Coates, Eli Rogers, JuJu Smith-Schuster, Darrius Heyward-Bey, Justin Hunter
Seven wide receivers seems like a lot, but if Roethlisberger wants weapons, then that’s what he’ll receive. Keep in mind Heyward-Bey is a special teams ace, and Bryant is one failed drug test away from being kicked out of the NFL. That changes the narrative a little. The unit as a whole has played well, and Hunter played his way onto the roster with his 58-yard touchdown reception against the Carolina Panthers.
Tight End (3)
Jesse James, Vance McDonald, Xavier Grimble
The Ladarius Green experiment sadly failed. There’s a possibility that David Johnson, the best pure blocker of the group, stays on the roster as well. But last year the team opted to use back up tackle Chris Hubbard as a blocking tight end with great success. The acquisition of McDonald gives Roethlisberger another receiving option over the middle in the red zone. Grimble looks big and fast as a receiver, he needs to become an elite blocker to take his game to the next level.
Offensive Line (8)
Alejandro Villanueva, Ramon Foster, Maurkice Pouncey, David DeCastro, Marcus Gilbert, Chris Hubbard, Jerald Hawkins, B.J. Finney
The same starting five from last season raise the question of health. Can Pouncey play 16 games? Will Villanueva continue to progress? Will Gilbert finally get elected to a Pro Bowl? The same questions as last season, the same backups as well now that Hawkins is healthy. From right to left one of the best lines in the NFL, they are tasked with keeping Roethlisberger healthy.
Defensive Line (6)
Cameron Heyward, Stephon Tuitt, Javon Hargrave, Tyson Alualu, L.T. Walton, Johnny Maxey
As the most proven unit on the defense, the line gets leader Heyward back from injury. This is a contract year for Tuitt who has looked good in the preseason. Hopefully Hargrave continues to progress from his rookie campaign. Alualu was a great depth acquisition during free agency, only adding depth to a strong unit.
Linebacker (9)
Bud Dupree, Ryan Shazier, Vince Williams, James Harrison, T.J. Watt, Tyler Matakevich, Arthur Moats, L.J Fort, Anthony Chickillo
The linebackers are the defensive unit with the most investment. Shazier, Dupree and Watt are all first round selections. But the linebackers have a lot of questions to answer. Can Shazier stay healthy? Can Dupree blossom into a star? How is the departure of Lawrence Timmons going to affect the group? Is Vince Williams, a special teams standout, ready to step into Timmons’ shoes? What is the rotation between Harrison and Watt going to look like? Are Matakevich, Fort and Chickillo ready to contribute on defense? Answers must surface quickly; when Pittsburgh Steelers linebackers are dominant, so is the defense.
Secondary (10)
Artie Burns, Joe Haden, Ross Cockrell, William Gay, Coty Sensabaugh Cam Sutton, Sean Davis, Mike Mitchell, Jordan Dangerfield, Robert Golden
The achilles heel of the defense the last few seasons, the secondar is going to be an interesting group to watch. Burns looks like the number one corner and will start the season there. The signing of two-time pro bowler Haden gives the Steelers all kinds of options. If he can stay healthy, he can solidify the man coverage scheme the Steelers are looking to implement more this season. Cockrell lost his starting job because of the Haden signing but it doesn’t make him necessarily expendable. Sensabaugh was a free-agent signing that has earned himself a roster spot throughout the preseason. Sutton, a rookie out of Tennessee, is struggling to stay on the field due to injury. But when healthy he’s shown flashes of greatness.
The foursome of Davis, Mitchell, Dangerfield and Golden round out the secondary. They were the active safeties last season, there’s no reason to think that will change this year. Davis is someone to keep an eye on, he looks like a play-maker, and finished his rookie campaign playing well.
Special Teams (3)
Jordan Berry, Chris Boswell, Colin Holba
Boswell has been the definition of consistent as a field goal kicker. He doesn’t have the strongest leg, but is reliable inside of 45 yards when it comes to field goals. Berry’s progression as a punter has also been notable. He has a strong leg and an underrated feel for pinning teams deep in their own territory. The rookie long-snapper Holba did have one high snap that caused Boswell to miss a point after attempt against the Indianapolis Colts. But the skill set is there, barring injuries or a drop off in performance, Holba looks like the Steelers long-snapper for the foreseeable future.
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