By admin 
As the roster cutdown deadline looms on August 30, the Pittsburgh Steelers will be faced with making a ton of hard decisions over the next couple of days.
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While a majority of their roster seems rather set, there are a handful of players on the margins who may find themselves without a 53-man spot when it’s all said and done for one reason or another.
With that, here are five Steelers who could register as surprise roster casualties.
Will Howard
The idea of the Steelers leaving Howard off their 53-man roster isn’t as stupefying as it was after his impressive preseason debut against the Green Bay Packers.
The 2025 sixth-round pick took a step back by throwing two interceptions vs. the New York Jets last week, placing him in more of a perilous spot as a result.
There’s been plenty of debate about whether Howard or Roman Wilson was to blame for those two picks. What is clear, though, is that Mason Rudolph has grabbed ahold of the backup job, which in turn would seem to leave Howard’s fate up to whether or not Pittsburgh keeps four quarterbacks on its roster.
He has one final opportunity to prove himself in the preseason finale against the Buffalo Bills. The expectation remains that Howard will remain a Steeler, but how he plays at the new Highmark Stadium might just determine whether or not he’s still with the team by this time next week.
Kaden Wetjen
Pittsburgh’s decision to select Wetjen, a return specialist first and foremost, in the fourth round of the 2026 NFL Draft was met with skepticism.
His lack of experience on offense during his time at Iowa was a red flag in his overall profile as a draft prospect, and he’s done little to disprove that narrative so far this summer.
Wetjen opened the preseason with a bang by going for 79 yards and a touchdown on two catches against the Packers, but he didn’t garner a single target vs. the Jets and also fumbled on a kick return at the end of the first quarter that New York narrowly avoided recovering on the sideline.
Head coach Mike McCarthy has made it clear that he doesn’t necessarily value players who shine only on special teams without being able to make an impact on either offense or defense.
Because Wetjen isn’t where he needs to be as a receiver and hasn’t stood out to the degree that perhaps the Steelers thought he would as a return man thus far, his roster status bears watching even if he’s still incredibly likely to earn a spot.
Broderick Jones
Patience is key with Jones considering he suffered a serious neck injury in Week 12 last season that later required spinal fusion surgery.
The 2023 first-round pick is still trying to regain strength and find his footing as a whole at offensive tackle in what’s become a contract year after his fifth-year option was declined earlier in the offseason.
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Jones has struggled mightily during the preseason, however, evidenced by the fact that he allowed two sacks (per Pro Football Focus) against the Jets last week across 38 pass blocking opportunities at right tackle.
He’s not really a factor in the competition for the starting right tackle job at this point, and while the Steelers don’t have a better option for their fourth spot at the position to fill out the depth chart, perhaps Jones could wind up on the move if the organization isn’t confident in what he brings to the table moving forward.
Cole Holcomb
If Pittsburgh ultimately opts to hold onto all four of its quarterbacks, Holcomb could find himself as a roster casualty simply because of the math.
He re-signed with the Steelers on a two-year, $5 million deal back in March and is a valuable part of the team’s inside linebacker room, particularly against the run while also holding his own in coverage.
The addition of Elandon Roberts has made Holcomb more expendable, though, and Carson Bruener is a lock to make the 53-man roster as a special teams ace who’s had some flashes on defense this summer as well.
Unless Pittsburgh is comfortable keeping five inside linebackers, which is a possibility, Holcomb might land on the chopping block.
Robert Spears-Jennings
Spears-Jennings was one of the talks of training camp for the Steelers as a seventh-round rookie who was getting consistent reps with the first-team defense.
The speedster has looked the part in the preseason too, drawing a block in the back penalty as a gunner on special teams against the Jets in addition to laying a huge hit on Sam Scott that resulted in an incompletion.
With Jalen Ramsey off the PUP list, however, there’s a world in which Pittsburgh decides to keep just three safeties on its initial 53-man roster.
Rayshawn Jenkins is coming off a great performance against the Jets as well and might get the nod over Spears-Jennings in the end, which could spell trouble for the latter.
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This article was originally published on www.si.com/nfl/steelers/onsi as 5 Steelers Who Could Be Surprise Roster Casualties.
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This story was originally published August 26, 2026 at 3:00 PM.