On the Bubble: The last in and first off the Steelers 53-man roster after Preseason Week 1

As the Pittsburgh Steelers moved to the 2025 preseason, all the work and all the evaluation is towards having the best season possible as well as filling out the strongest 53-man roster they can field. With the Steelers having 91 players in camp, there are some that are safe and have no question as to their place on the team while others are very much a long-shot.

So where is the cut off at this time? Which players are just finding their way onto the roster and which ones are just missing out from staying on the 53?

In the same line as the NCAA basketball tournament where they talk about teams that are “on the bubble,“ it’s time to look at the Steelers players who I have on the bubble both on offense and defense.

To break things down, I have to first reference which players I have on the 53-man roster which I projected, along with Jeff Hartman, earlier this week and can be seen HERE. Based on those players who I had making it, I also came up with a list of those who are the closest to being on the team that I did not have. I simply did a “last four in, and first four out.“

It was too difficult to do it across the entire roster, so I split it up for offense and defense. Starting off with the offense, it should be noted that the names that are listed are not at any particular order.

Offense

Last 4 In:

Connor Heyward
Scotty Miller
Andrus Peat
Robert Woods

First 4 Out:

Max Hurleman
Roc Taylor
Trey Sermon
Dylan Cook

Before getting into the players that were listed, I did not include the quarterbacks Will Howard and Skyler Thompson. For now, I have Howard on the roster. But if Howard is not able to play at all this preseason, I believe he could land on the Reserve/Injured List (IR) which would give way to Thompson

On my 53-man roster, I kept six wide receivers. The Steelers very well could just keep five, so I have both their fifth and six players listed. I also have the last offensive lineman and the last tight end in Connor Heyward, who I think is likely to make the roster but I don’t think it’s definite.

The first four out I think are self-explanatory. I don’t know if Roc Taylor is the next wide receiver on the Steelers list, but that’s where I have him. I also think that the Steelers could very well find a way to keep Max Hurleman or Trey Sermon. And when it comes to Dylan Cook, he could very easily get the last offensive lineman spot over Andru‘s Peat.

Now let’s check out the defense and no particular order…

Defense

Last 4 In:

Mark Robinson
Beanie Bishop
James Pierre
Logan Lee

First 4 Out:

Cory Trice
Isaiahh Loudermilk
Carson Bruener
DeMarvin Leal

With these lists, it’s a lot of either/or scenarios. The most obvious is Logan Lee or Isaiahh Loudermilk. It could be both, but I have it as one or the other. I also have Bishop and Pierre over Cory Trice but it could be any combination. Mark Robinson and Carson Bruener are also likely fighting for the last linebacker spot, where the Steelers could find the extra position at outside linebacker with DeMarvin Lee.

So what do you think? Which players are on the bubble for you when it comes to the Steelers 53-man roster? Share your thoughts in the comments below.