The Steelers and Bills will close out their preseason night at Highmark Stadium, and for some players on both sidelines, the final whistle will mean the end of the line. Not just for the week or the season, but for good.
After a lifetime in football, there are guys who will be hanging up the pads for the last time. Some will move on to other careers.
Others will have a harder time figuring out what comes next. That part of the game doesn’t get talked about enough, but it matters tonight.
There’s also the simple football truth hanging over this one: one game rarely changes everything. Kaleb Johnson can break a big run and Max Hurleman can score twice, but that doesn’t automatically rewrite the roster picture.
Most of the Steelers’ depth chart is probably already decided, with maybe four or five spots still open. Roman Wilson looks like the name with the most to prove after a quiet start to the preseason, and even a Wyoming bonding trip with Aaron Rodgers may not be enough to save him.
The league also made a notable policy change this week, announcing a new “Three Strikes” rule for 2026. Any player who picks up three ‘health and safety rules violations’ in a single season will be suspended for one game.
The violations listed are Hip-Drop tackles, launching, horse-collar tackles, hits on defenseless players and blindside blocks. The timing stands out, coming the same week a new study said one-in-four NFL players could have CTE.
Sunday night at 6pmET is still the league’s big roster deadline, when every team has to get down to 53. It gets called the “Final Roster,” but that’s really just the start of the churn.
Once the cuts are in, teams across the league start digging through the leftovers, and the Steelers’ list is almost certain to look different by Week One. Even players near the bottom of the roster need to keep one eye on that reality.
The Pro Bowl Games are gone, too. The NFL has scrapped the whole setup, and honestly, it’s hard to argue with that.
The game had faded out long before the “Games” version arrived, and that didn’t do much to help. From here on out, 88 players will be recognized as Pro Bowl selections each year, and there won’t be any replacements.
Around the league, there’s plenty else floating around: Cleveland somehow finding a way to make things worse again, the sense that preseason games may be on borrowed time, and the latest injury concern for former Steeler Calvin Austin III, which sounds like an awful one. There’s also chatter that when Sunday night’s rosters come out, some players will be wearing new numbers as cuts open up jerseys for those who stick.
And then there’s the rumor mill. Word is NYJ owner Woody Johnson is vetting Mike Tomlin, and there’s already plenty of noise about him bringing Tomlin in next year.
Tonight, though, the focus stays on the game. And on keeping everybody healthy.
In Other News...
Steelers Face A Risky QB Decision Before Cuts Begin
Ben Roethlisberger has entered the quarterback conversation in Pittsburgh, and his stance is pretty clear: the Steelers should keep both Will Howard and Drew Allar on the roster instead of trying to sneak either one onto the practice squad. It is the kind of roster debate that tends to sharpen this time of year, especially with final cuts looming and the team still sorting through what it wants behind Aaron Rodgers.
Howard and Allar have each shown flashes this preseason, but neither has put together a flawless run, which leaves the Steelers weighing upside against the realities of roster math. The decision comes after the final preseason game against the Buffalo Bills, and while neither quarterback is viewed as someone who will be starting anytime soon, the depth chart could look a lot different if Rodgers ever has to miss time. [Read more 🡒]
Giants Linked To Costly Answer For A Major Secondary Need
The Giants have been floated as a possible solution for a secondary that needs help, with Bleacher Reports Alex Kay laying out a trade idea that would send 2027 second- and sixth-round picks to Pittsburgh in exchange for cornerback Joey Porter Jr. It is the kind of proposal that speaks to both teams priorities: New York looking for a long-term upgrade on the back end, and the Steelers weighing the value of a young defender who has already established himself as part of the future.
Porter is entering the final year of his rookie contract and is seeking an extension, which makes any conversation around his future more complicated than a simple draft-pick swap. For Pittsburgh, the question is not just what Porter is worth in the market, but whether a deal like this would even be worth considering if the cornerbacks next contract is not already lined up. [Read more 🡒]
Mike Tomlin Could Soon Be Back In The AFC Spotlight
Mike Tomlins name has a way of surfacing whenever an NFL franchise starts looking for a cleaner, bigger answer at coach, and now the Jets are the latest team linked to him. According to Jason La Canfora, New York is expected to pursue the former Steelers head coach in its next hiring cycle, with owner Woody Johnson said to be open to stepping away from his usual preference for first-time coaches if the job opens up.
For Steelers fans, the more interesting part is the company Tomlin is being mentioned with. There is already speculation tying the Jets and Tomlin to Lamar Jackson, who is expected to seek a trade in 2027 if contract uncertainty lingers, which only adds to the sense that New York could be preparing for a much larger reset. For now, it is still a rumor trail more than a finished plan, but it is the kind that keeps Tomlin in the AFC conversation long after the season ends. [Read more 🡒]