Pittsburgh Steelers: Early 55-man roster predictions after the 2020 draft

Examining the Pittsburgh Steelers roster and who could make the 55-man final cut in 2020 now that the CBA has expanded the size by two players.

The Pittsburgh Steelers should still add several veteran players in the second wave of free agency, but we know what the roster will roughly look like this coming season. Pittsburgh’s final roster for 2020 seems relatively cut and dry, except for the linebacker and wide receiver positions.

Under the new collective bargaining agreement (CBA), NFL teams can dress 48 active players on game day instead of 46. The CBA also allows two practice squad players to be elevated to the team’s active roster per week, increasing the standard roster size from 53 players to 55. For a full breakdown of the new CBA’s rules, check out Dan Graziano‘s article on ESPN.

The new roster rules create opportunities for the Steelers to keep around some of their lower draft picks and developmental players while still adding veteran contributors.

Quarterbacks (3): Ben Roethlisberger, Mason Rudolph, Paxton Lynch

The hope among Steelers fans is that it doesn’t matter who the team keeps to backup Roethlisberger because he’ll stay healthy for the full regular season and the playoffs. However, after last season, Pittsburgh must understand they’re in a situation where the success of the 2020 season could come down to who wins the backup job if Roethlisberger gets hurt again.

For reference, Big Ben has only played a full 16-game season four times in his 16-year career. The last instance came two years ago when Roethlisberger led the NFL in passing yards in 2018. Some of the seasons where he finished with 15 games played can probably be attributed to sitting out a game if Pittsburgh had nothing to play for, but the bottom line is Roethlisberger rarely plays the entire season.

With so much potentially riding on the backup quarterback job, a lot of Steelers fans hoped the team would chase a veteran option like Andy Dalton or Jameis Winston. Instead, the team remains confident in Mason Rudolph, even after many fans have jumped ship. The Oklahoma State product got benched several times last season for poor play, but it seems inevitable that he’ll backup Roethlisberger this coming season.

Unlike some teams, the Steelers will retain a third quarterback, especially after what happened last season. There’s not much of a difference between Devlin Hodges and Lynch. Although Hodges’ limited success in Pittsburgh’s system might give him an advantage, I think Lynch can win the third quarterback spot. That leaves J.T. Barrett and Hodges on the outside looking in.