Sports blog information from USA TODAY.
We’ve updated our 90-man roster to account for the most recent transactions.
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We don’t know if the Pittsburgh Steelers will actually bring 90 players to training camp this year and the NFL and the NFLPA continue to hash out the rules of training camp but for now, Pittsburgh has 90 guys set to report next week.
Here is our updated 90-man training camp roster including all the latest transactions.
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Who are the best Steelers on the roster?
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The NFL seems to be pushing forward with training camp and so are we. We’ve poured over the Pittsburgh Steelers roster and analyzed these guys from every angle. The Steelers finished 8-8 last season but it’s clear this roster has much more talent than that.
We decided to rank the 20 best players on the roster heading into this season. Of course we have to include Roethlisberger based on the fact that he’s planning for a full healthy return and will be back to his old self.
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Who is your No. 1 player? For us, it has to be linebacker T.J. Watt but by all means, check out the full list and then tell us where we are wrong.
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Who is the best young player on the Steelers roster?
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It wasn’t that long ago that critics of the Pittsburgh Steelers pointed to the fact the team was aging. But over the last four years, the Steelers have done a great job bringing in an influx of young talent that should keep the Steelers competitive for years to come.
We went through the roster and ranked the 25 best players on the team 25 years old or younger.
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The top of that list is just loaded with stars. Unfortunately, there are some older players in the starting lineup but you have to like how the Steelers staff is building this team to win now and in the future.
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Here’s our last look at what could be the team’s final roster before the team reports for training camp.
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We are only days away from rookies reporting for the Pittsburgh Steelers. Training camp is upon us and that means it is time for us to update our 53-man roster projection. We don’t know exactly how many players the Steelers will even be allowed to bring to camp but here’s our best guess as to the players who will be on the team for the first regular-season game.
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Any surprises here? Where would your projection look different? Let us know in the comments below or on the message board.
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We take a shot at predicting the Steelers starting lineup on offense.
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The Pittsburgh Steelers and the rest of the NFL seem to be pushing forward with a season. There will be rules and there will be limitations but there will still be football. At least that’s what we are counting on. In pouring over the Steelers roster, we’ve decided to put together our prediction for what the Week One starting lineup on offense will look like.
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The biggest surprise on that list is at running back. We were huge fans of running back Benny Snell Jr. coming out of college and he just seems like a back who gives the Steelers a better chance to have a balanced offense.
We also have Eric Ebron taking over the starting tight end spot over Vance McDonald. Ebron just brings too much more potential productivity to the position to keep off the field.
Tell us what you think of our predictions and tell us what you think the opening weekend’s starting lineup will look like.
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Is any Steeler worthy of a massive contract?
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History was made in the NFL this week. The Kansas City Chiefs gave quarterback Patrick Mahomes a 10-year contract extension that in total is worth over a half a billion dollars. It’s hard to wrap your head around this kind of money for anyone but it got us thinking. Is there any Pittsburgh Steelers player you would give a massive 10-year extension to right now?
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Personally, I’d give T.J. Watt a decade-long contract extension right now and never give it a second thought. Obviously not the massive deal Mahomes got but locking him up for the next 10 years makes perfect sense. But it would be hard to argue against giving Minkah Fitzpatrick or Devin Bush something similar. Or maybe you are counting on JuJu Smith-Schuster bouncing back to greatness and want to lock him up.
Cast your vote and tell us which Steeler you’d give that deal to. Or maybe you wouldn’t give it to any player. Let us know.
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If the Steelers want to compete in 2020, they must improve the offensive line.
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No positional unit on the Pittsburgh Steelers saw more turnover this offseason than did the offensive line. Starting left guard Ramon Foster retired and the primary backup on the interior, B.J. Finney, signed with the Seattle Seahawks.
Last season the Steelers offensive line finished No. 9 in the NFL according to Pro Football Focus.
Injuries to the quarterback, running back and wide receiver positions quickly turned one of the NFL’s better offenses from a season ago into a unit that averaged more yards per play than only the Redskins, Bears and Jets this season. The Steelers’ offensive line simply didn’t play at the same level it did last year when it finished the regular season as the top unit in the NFL for us at PFF. But they were still solid up front, particularly in pass protection, where they put up an 81.6 pass-blocking grade that trailed only the Ravens and Saints this season.
Most teams would be happy to have the ninth-best offensive line but for the Steelers this was a fairly significant step back. It will be up to the coaches to figure out which combination of five can help this team get the run game back on track.
The Steelers haven’t had a rushing offense in the Top 15 since 2016 and the last two seasons ranked 29th in 2019 and 31st in 2018. Some of this falls on the talent at running back but the offensive line must shoulder some of the blame as well.
Which positions are in question? Primarily it’ll be left guard. The team signed Stefan Wisniewski but he is at best a stop-gap player and might not even win the starting left guard spot vacated by Foster.
If the Steelers really want to get the five best offensive linemen on the field, the answer could be to move the current starting right tackle Matt Feiler over to guard and open up the competition for right tackle.
Pittsburgh currently has at least two capable players and perhaps even a third who could battle it out for the starting right tackle spot. Zach Banner and Chuks Okorafor are both promising young players who deserve a shot. You could even toss Derwin Gray in there but he’s largely an unknown at this point.
Regardless, this is one of those situations the Steelers cannot ignore. How great would be to have Mike Munchak back right now to help coach up these young guys?
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These five Steelers don’t get the attention they deserve.
When it comes to the Pittsburgh Steelers, everyone wants to talk about the same guys. Everyone is excited about the return of Ben Roethlisberger and how much better T.J. Watt can be but there are plenty of guys on this team who don’t get the attention they deserve. These are the players who might be most vital to this team’s success.
Here are our five most underrated Steelers on the roster.
No one could stop talking about Boswell in 2018 when he struggled. But Boswell returns to form in 2019 and no one has a thing to say about it. Boswell is one of the most consistent scoring threats on the roster and has won this team multiple games over the course of his career.
