The Pittsburgh Steelers have a lot of good players vying for roster spots. Who might get left out when training camp is all said and done?
Cracking an NFL roster is tough, even sometimes for former high draft picks.
The Pittsburgh Steelers have an interesting collection of players on both sides of the ball heading into 2022 training camp, but some of the biggest names won’t make it.
Even as this team goes through a period of transition, 53-man roster spots will be tough to come by.
Which players could be cut by the time training camp is up? Let’s take a look at a trio of names to keep tabs on.
Pittsburgh Steelers cut candidate no. 1: Jace Sternberger, TE
Jace Sternberger was once a highly touted tight end prospect coming from Texas A&M, where he was dominant in the 2018 season.
He parlayed a 48 reception, 832 yard, 10-touchdown season into being picked 75th overall in the third round of the 2019 NFL Draft by the Green Bay Packers.
The stars had aligned for Sternberger to excel right away as an NFL player, but it didn’t happen.
He’s been on IR, he’s been suspended, and over the last year or so, he’s kind of been bouncing around the league.
Could he find a home in Pittsburgh?
In Big Ben’s heyday, I think things might have been different for Sternberger. Unfortunately, this current version of the Pittsburgh Steelers might just not be the ideal environment for him to rebound.
Pittsburgh Steelers cut candidate no. 2: Mason Rudolph, QB
Just as the Big Ben era ended in Pittsburgh in 2022, I think we’re about to see the Mason Rudolph era end as well.
Every move the Steelers have made has been pointing towards an eventual separation with the former 76th overall pick (3rd round) of the 2018 NFL Draft.
Rudolph is seemingly in a “battle” for the QB2 job with whoever loses the QB1 battle between rookie Kenny Pickett and free agent acquisition Mitchell Trubisky.
That, in and of itself, is kind of hilarious.
Why would the player who loses the QB1 battle not be your QB2?
Besides the fabricated training camp storyline, and besides the additions of both Mitchell Trubisky and Kenny Pickett, the Pittsburgh Steelers also made another intriguing move at the QB position in 2022.
Late in the 2022 NFL Draft, they took former South Dakota State QB Chris Oldaokun, a potential practice squad candidate and third QB solution the Steelers obviously liked a bit in this year’s draft class.
Rudolph has been around for a handful of years at this point.
He’s had opportunities to show he could be the potential QB1 of the future or at least a high-end QB2. We haven’t seen it from him.
I think by the time training camp and preseason games have concluded, Rudolph will be looking for his next NFL destination.
Pittsburgh Steelers cut candidate no. 3: Anthony Miller, WR
Anthony Miller once looked like one of the top young, up-and-coming wide receivers in the NFL.
Now, in the 2022 offseason, he’s fighting for his roster life.
Miller was a second-round pick (51st overall) back in the 2018 NFL Draft out of Memphis. He had a really solid rookie season with the Chicago Bears which ended with seven touchdown catches and a lot of hope that he could be an even bigger piece of their future in Chicago.
The next couple of seasons did not go as planned for Miller and the Bears, and now he’s reunited with his former teammate Mitchell Trubisky with the Pittsburgh Steelers.
More teams should take shots on reclamation projects like this. The Steelers, to give them some credit here, are at least giving some of these guys a shot and they’re taking calculated risks on talent with very little to lose.
A guy like Anthony Miller could absolutely crack Pittsburgh’s roster, which is also in transition at wide receiver as well as at quarterback, but here’s the competition he’s currently facing:
- Diontae Johnson
- Chase Claypool
- George Pickens
- Calvin Austin
- Gunner Olszewski
- Miles Boykin
There’s definitely a path if the Steelers keep six receivers for Miller to be one of the best six, but it’s also possible all of these guys — and perhaps some others — beat him out.
Maybe all of the receivers will play well and the Steelers will be able to recoup some value in a trade.
For now, there are a handful of former high draft picks fighting for their roster lives in the Steel City.