The Steelers are only four games into the season, but the roster already looks like it could be headed for a shakeup. Pittsburgh sits at 2-2, and the early returns have been uneven enough that several players are staring at uncertain futures if the team can’t steady itself soon.
That kind of week-to-week whiplash can change a roster fast. A player can look secure one Sunday and be sliding down the depth chart by the next. For the Steelers, the pressure is already building on a few names who may be running out of time to prove they belong.
Asante Samuel Jr. is one of them. His starting job is safe for the moment, mostly because Daylen Everette is still trying to settle in and Jamel Dean is dealing with a nagging injury.
Even so, the situation in the secondary could look very different once everyone is healthy. Samuel has had some good moments this season, but if the recent struggles keep piling up, his spot could come under real scrutiny.
Spencer Anderson is in a different kind of bind. He was pushed down the depth chart a few weeks ago, and while Gennings Dunker’s long-term injury has kept Anderson in place as the backup guard, that arrangement may not last.
Once Dunker is back, Anderson’s role gets a lot less certain. He might avoid being cut this season, but it’s difficult to picture him still being around beyond 2026.
Rayshawn Jenkins was supposed to be the steady stopgap while DeShon Elliott worked his way back from injury. Instead, the plan has gone sideways. Jenkins looks headed for a benching in favor of rookie seventh-round pick Robert Spears-Jennings, and Elliott’s return could push Jenkins even closer to mid-season roster cuts.
Rico Dowdle faces a different challenge. Injuries can wreck a player’s standing, and that may be happening here.
He’s a proven running back, but the offense has looked like a different unit when Jaylen Warren gets more touches. If Dowdle comes back and the fit still doesn’t change, it becomes hard to justify keeping the veteran around this offseason.
Patrick Queen’s situation feels just as shaky. It’s difficult to see him on the Steelers roster next year, especially with the contract extension he would require.
He has not shown enough to justify being paid like a top-tier linebacker in Pittsburgh’s defense. He’ll keep his starting job for now, but the production hasn’t matched the role.
Then there’s Michael Pittman Jr., who has been one of the biggest letdowns on the roster so far. Pittsburgh made a huge bet by trading for him and handing him a hefty extension, but he hasn’t looked like himself.
Right now, the Steelers look like they overpaid for a player who hasn’t delivered. If the rest of the season doesn’t bring a turnaround, Pittman could end up becoming an expensive cut.
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Steelers Suddenly Have A Real Chance To Build Momentum
A 2-2 start has the Steelers at a familiar crossroads entering Week 5, but the next stretch on the schedule gives them a real opening to change the tone of their season. Several opponents coming up carry their own injury concerns and roster issues, which could make this a favorable run for Pittsburgh if it can stay steady and take care of business.
Indianapolis, Tampa Bay, Philadelphia, Baltimore and Carolina all come with some degree of uncertainty on the other side, and that matters for a Steelers team looking for traction. With the early part of the season still leaving plenty unsettled, this feels like the sort of window good teams use to stack wins and bad teams waste, and Pittsburgh has a chance to show which path it is on. [Read more 🡒]
Steelers Suddenly Face A Jonathan Taylor Problem They Cant Ignore
Derrick Harmon landing on injured reserve with a toe injury leaves the Steelers making another adjustment up front, and rookie Gabriel Rubio is set to step into his role on the defensive line. It is the kind of reshuffle Pittsburgh can manage in the short term, but it also arrives at a time when the defense has already had trouble holding up against the run.
Jonathan Taylor and the Colts are the next test, and that is where the concern really sharpens for Pittsburgh. With the run defense still searching for consistency, the Steelers are staring at a matchup that could force them to prove the front can absorb the loss of Harmon without letting one of the leagues most dangerous backs control the game. [Read more 🡒]
Big Ben Delivered One Of The Wildest Steelers Wins Ever
On a strange October afternoon in 2014, the Steelers and Colts turned Heinz Field into a showcase for one of the wildest offensive explosions in franchise history. Ben Roethlisberger authored the kind of performance that still comes up whenever Pittsburghs most memorable regular-season games are discussed, setting team marks with six touchdown passes and piling up 522 passing yards while completing 40 of 49 throws in a 51-34 win.
What made the game feel even more out of control was how quickly the scoring kept coming, with key plays and scoring drives feeding a track meet that Indianapolis could not slow down. It was the sort of victory that reminded Steelers fans how often Roethlisberger could drag a game into chaos and still leave Pittsburgh standing, even if the full sequence of how that afternoon unfolded is the part that still gets remembered most. [Read more 🡒]