The Pittsburgh Steelers don't have to concern themselves with NFL roster cutdowns until after the preseason, but that time will soon be upon us. Early in training camp, the superstars have expectedly stolen the spotlight, while young players and recent draft picks have raised eyebrows. Unfortunately, this 90-man roster will soon be cut by roughly 40 percent.
These decisions are never easy. Unfortunately, there is a group of veteran players who seem destined to land on the Steelers' 53-man roster, even if it seems they don't warrant a valuable roster spot.
Pittsburgh Steelers who will make the 53-man roster (but shouldn't)
Connor Heyward, TE/FB
Connor Heyward is a Swiss Army knife when it comes to his ability to play fullback, H-back, tight end, and special teams. This versatility holds value. The problem is that Heyward doesn't necessarily excel at anything he does.
As the team's projected fourth tight end, Heyward will rarely see the field on offense. There's nothing that he brings to the special teams unit that couldn't be filled by a backup linebacker or safety. The Steelers could decide to roll with a younger player with more physical gifts and upside (like JJ Galbreath), but Heyward is in the driver's seat.
I don't want to call this a roster spot influenced by nepotism (Cam Heyward is his older brother), but after recording just six catches on 207 offensive snaps in 17 games, the Steelers could be getting more out of a different player at the bottom of the roster.
Robert Woods, WR
We understand why the Steelers signed Robert Woods this offseason, but there isn't anything the veteran brings to the table at this point (other than experience) that should be intiguing to Mike Tomlin and his staff.
Woods recorded 203 receiving yards in 15 games last season with the Texans. In 2023, he was wildly inefficient with Houston—earning just 40 catches on 75 targets for a dismal 5.7 yards per target. Woods is 33 years old and doesn't offer much on special teams. If we are looking at the team's fourth receiver at best, the Steelers would be better off elsewhere.
Brandin Echols, CB
By most accounts, Brandin Echols has had a strong performance early at Steelers training camp. However, that doesn't necessarily make him the right man for the job. Echols is a 5'10'', 175-pound cornerback who played just nine snaps from the slot last season with the Jets. The undersized boundary CB is coming off a down season and turns 28 years old in October.
Meanwhile, the Steelers have a top-three cornerback grouping of Joey Porter Jr., Darius Slay, and Jalen Ramsey. After this group, a 25-year-old Cory Trice Jr. deserves the next look, and could become the team's dime backer in 2025. Likewise, Beanie Bishop Jr. is younger than Echols and already has a full season of starting nickel CB experience under his belt in 2024.
Echols has turned some heads at training camp, but this is a low upside play for an undersized boundary cornerback without any upside at this stage of his career. Echols is guaranteed to make the team after inking a two-year contract this offseason, but this is a deep CB room, and others are just as deserving (and with more upside).
Ryan McCollum, C
Ryan McCollum doesn't profile as an NFL starter, but I'd argue that he wouldn't make many NFL rosters. Because of a lack of depth at the center postion, McCollum has made the Steelers' roster by default each of the past two seasons.
Unfortunately, his performance has almost always been underwhelming. The 300-pound center has appeared in 30 games over the past two seasons and can serve as a lineman on extra points, but he also has a career average PFF grade of just 49.9 entering his fifth NFL season.
McCollum possesses only average size and athletic traits, and the Steelers should look for more competition at backup center. He's bound to get the job backing up Zach Frazier, but Pittsburgh can do better.
