Carson Bruener is starting to make a case that the Steelers’ inside linebacker room might have a little more clarity than it did a week ago.
The 2025 seventh-round pick out of Washington has spent most of his rookie season doing the dirty work on special teams, but he flashed enough in Pittsburgh’s preseason game against the New York Jets to get noticed for something more. That matters in a position group that still looks unsettled for the long haul.
Bruener, whose father Mark played tight end for the Steelers from 1995 to 2003 and later became a scout for the organization, suited up in all 17 games during his first year and piled up 287 special teams snaps. On defense, though, he barely got a look, finishing the season with just one rep.
That’s why what happened against the Jets stood out. After opening the preseason with 52 snaps against the Green Bay Packers, Bruener played only 17 snaps against New York. Nine of those came on defense, and he made them count.
Late in the first half, he broke up a pass thrown toward Jelani Woods, then came right back on the next play and bull-rushed Kene Nwangwu in the backfield for a sack of Cade Klubnik. The Jets then missed a 59-yard field goal as the half expired, and Bruener had a real hand in keeping them off the board.
Mike McCarthy made sure to mention him during his halftime interview with Missi Matthews.
"Well, I mean, there's still a lot of ball," McCarthy said. "There's a lot going on here.
One thing we really emphasized was finishing plays. I thought Carson Bruener, that's what we're looking for...
We need more of that throughout the second half."
The Steelers’ recent addition of Elandon Roberts only adds to the competition, and Roberts also looked sharp against the Jets. If Pittsburgh goes with five inside linebackers on the initial 53-man roster, Bruener seems likely to be the fifth name in the mix behind Patrick Queen, Payton Wilson, Cole Holcomb and Roberts.
That doesn’t mean there’s a major defensive role waiting for him right away. As the fifth option, he probably won’t see much action on defense, if any. But the bigger picture is what makes him worth tracking.
Queen and Roberts are both set to hit free agency after the season, while Wilson and Holcomb are entering the final years of their deals. Bruener, meanwhile, is the only player in the group under contract beyond 2027, which gives the Steelers a reason to keep testing him and see how far his game can go.
He’s already shown progress from where he was as a rookie, and inside linebacker is one of those spots where the NFL usually demands patience. Bruener still has a long way to go before anyone talks seriously about him as a starter, but he’s done enough to move beyond being just a special teams name on the roster.
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