Four surprises from the Steelers initial 53-man roster
On Tuesday afternoon the Pittsburgh Steelers, along with 31 other NFL teams, trimmed their rosters down from as many as 91 players to an active 53-man roster.
While there weren’t a bunch of surprises, there were still some players who were let go and others retained that are of note. With the speculation over as to who would make the team, here are the roster moves that came as the most surprising after yesterday’s transactions.
Dean Lowry and Logan Lee
Want to know how surprising it is that Lowry and Lee made the team? Getty Images doesn’t even have a photo of either player, in a Steelers uniform, that we could use with this subheading!
Lowry, an eight-year NFL veteran, had a quiet preseason, participating in about half of each exhibition game. Lee, a sixth-round draft pick this season, did not play in the team’s preseason finale. It was speculated that both players could get cut, as the this pair of defensive linemen expands the group from six to eight. If anything, it appeared to be an either/or situation, but it’s possible the Steelers didn’t want to risk exposing Lee to waivers.
There’s also a thought that DeMarvin Leal, listed as a defensive end, could play standing up a spot over as outside linebacker depth, since the team only has three edge rushers currently rostered. (T.J. Watt, Alex Highsmith, and Nick Herbig.) That would justify the need for more d-linemen.
Three True Tight Ends
There was no doubt that Pat Freiermuth and Darnell Washington would make the team this season. Connor Heyward, who is denoted as a dual position player (FB/TE) was also favored to make the cut.
But would the Steelers keep an additional, true tight end beyond the top two? It appears that answer is yes, as a favorite of new offensive coordinator Arthur Smith makes the cut. MyCole Pruitt, a 32-year-old veteran enters his eleventh NFL season. The Steelers are his sixth team, and third that he’s played for under Smith.
With Smith wanting to have a more physically imposing offense, extra tight ends will be necessary, especially as the grind of the season takes it’s toll. Still, I had Pruitt on my initial roster predictions and then trailed off, thinking the team would opt for a true fullback. However, Jack Colletto was released, creating a spot for Pruitt to make the team.
Ryan Watts & Jalen Elliott
Injuries are an unfortunate part of the game. That appears to hold true for the Steelers other sixth round pick from the 2024 NFL Draft, Ryan Watts, who limped off of field in Detroit. The Steelers announced that he was placed on injured reserve, without designation to return, ending his season.
Watts was having a great summer throughout training camp and the preseason, so while the news is a setback for his career, it opened the door for a fellow defensive back who was also competition for a roster spot.
Jalen Elliott really started to standout as the “real” game action got thick over the last few weeks. I had suspected Elliott could be a practice squad candidate, not knowing how severe Watts’ injury was. Now that the news is final, Elliott will carve out a role as a special teams player and depth behind the Steelers starting safeties of Minkah Fitzpatrick, DeShon Elliott, and Damontae Kazee.
Injured Reserve, PUP, and Suspension Designations
Dylan Cook and Jeremiah Moon are two names most fans may not know. The reason they are listed here is that the organization felt it necessary to list both as injured reserve players with a designation to return.
The rules allow NFL teams to designate up to eight players to return off of the injured reserve list. In the past, teams would have to cut other players, allow their injured players to make the team (such as Cook or Moon) and then plays Cook or Moon on IR to free up a roster spot to re-sign the other released players.
The league simplified this transaction mess for the 2024 season by giving teams the option to designate players for return before the season begins, forgoing the release/re-sign patter of the past. That means Cook and Moon’s seasons aren’t over, as is this case for players such as Ryan Watts, Nate Herbig, Breiden Fehoko, Grayland Arnold, and Julius Welschof. (Who were all placed on IR without a designation to return.)
The rules are meant to prevent teams from hoarding an unlimited amount of players on their roster that could come back at anytime. Thus, the designations of Cook and Moon are intriguing. Cook made the team but was inactive for game days in 2023. He would provide depth at the tackle position, while Moon was listed on the team’s depth chart as the primary backup behind OLB T.J. Watt.
Both Cook and Moon must be on the injured reserve list for four games before they a 21-day practice window can be opened to activate the player on the full roster.
These rules slightly differ from LB Cole Holcomb‘s situation. Holcomb, who is still recovering from a knee injury sustained last November, started camp on the Physically Unable to Perform (PUP) list and was moved over to the same to start the 2024 season. He will also be required to miss four games before returning to physical activities.
CB Cameron Sutton is on the Reserve/Suspended by Commissioner list while serving an eight game suspension due to off-field issues from earlier this year. He will be reinstated and eligible to return to the Steelers in Week 9.
Final Roster List
Below is the final list of the players who initially made the Pittsburgh Steelers 53-man roster. I would expect this list to be fluid throughout the next several weeks as players are signed an re-signed from the bottom five-to-ten players on the list.
Our initial 53-man roster ⤵️ pic.twitter.com/O4WAcdFDe0
— Pittsburgh Steelers (@steelers) August 27, 2024
