Training camp is just a few short weeks away, and there are more than a few veterans preparing to fight for their spot on the Steelers roster. This is one of the deeper teams that Pittsburgh has fielded in some time. A fact that inevitably will lead to some really interesting camp battles, Let’s go over the top seven players who are in danger of being cut this summer:
1. Mason Rudolph:
The Steelers drafted a quarterback in the first round, and signed one to a significant contract this off-season. It seems like its not a question of if Mason Rudolph will be cut, but when. It wasn’t always the case, as there were high hopes for Rudolph early on. He was drafted as a possible heir to Ben Roethlisberger back in 2019. Are the Steelers trying to tell us something with the Mason Rudolph pick?
Kevin Colbert went as far as to say they had a first round grade on him coming out of Oklahoma St. Since then his stock has fallen quite a bit. Rudolph failed to beat out undrafted free agent Duck Hodges during the 2019 season. Fast forward to 2022, and he is almost certainly third on the depth chart at quarterback. It’s even more likely that Mason Rudolph is traded or cut by the end of training camp.
2. Anthony Miller:
There was a bit of a buzz when Anthony Miller was first signed to the Steelers roster. The former second round pick of the Chicago Bears had a decent resume before coming to Pittsburgh. Unfortunately he could barley break into the game day roster last season despite the wide receiver group being hit hard by injuries. Now Miller faces a roster loaded with talent. His lack of special teams capability will almost certainly mean his days with this team are numbered.
3. Montravius Adams:
Montravius Adams may end up being the odd man out of the one of the deepest positions on the roster. The Steelers generally like to keep only six defensive lineman during the season. When you look at the group of Heyward, Ogunjobi, Wormley, Loudermilk, Leal, and Alualu its easy to see Adams not making this team. Pittsburgh will undoubtedly want him on the practice squad. Unfortunately Adams has probably too much on tape, and would be scooped up by another team if he were to be put on waivers. The Steelers are going to have an extremely tough decision with this group barring injuries.
4. Anthony McFarland:
We had hope that Anthony McFarland would be a productive backup running back at the very least when he was drafted in 2020. Two seasons later, he has barley seen the field for the Pittsburgh Steelers. Honestly it’s not like their is much competition at the running back position. The team only added a pair of undrafted free agents to the roster. Still, we get the feeling Anthony McFarland is not a “Tomlin” guy. It would not surprise us in the least if he didn’t make the final 53.
5. James Pierre:
Just a year ago, James Pierre was the training camp darling of the Steelers media. https://www.steelers.com/news/rookie-recap-james-pierre
After being exposed with some pretty poor performances early on in 2021, Pierre may be on the chopping block come September. Admittedly this isn’t the deepest position group on the roster. Other players like Justin Layne offer the team special teams value however. It will be a mild upset if James Pierre makes the final 53 this season.
Marcus Allen:
The inside linebacker experiment couldn’t have come at a worse time for Marcus Allen. This roster goes about seven deep at that position. While it’s normally a plus to have position flexibility, this seems more like man without a home for Allen. We just don’t see a role for this player in 2022.
7. Pressley Harvin III:
For reasons we will never fully understand, Pressley Harvin became one of the top fan favorites for Steelers nation last season. Harvin struggled all season, even before the unfortunate passing of his father. This is a player with a lot to prove in training camp. If he were to start off slow, the Steelers will immediately start looking around for veteran options to replace him. Pressley Harvin is in no way guaranteed a roster spot on this team in 2022.