The Pittsburgh Steelers have two weeks left to turn a 90-man roster into 53 players, and with two preseason games remaining, the competition for those final spots is only getting tighter. With more players making legitimate cases than there are roster spots available, Mike McCarthy revealed what will ultimately separate the players who make the team from those who don’t.
“As we get into these battles that are going on at each position, it’s important for our players to be able to play all four downs,” McCarthy said before Sunday’s training camp practice. “I think everybody’s excited about draft picks and this and that, but your value to play on special teams and offense and defense is important. You have to be able to play on offense, defense, and special teams.
“I don’t like to keep a guy that’s just special teams or a guy that’s just on offense unless his contract and his level [warrants it].”
He noted RB Travis Homer as an example of somebody capable of wearing both hats. The veteran has primarily been a special teamer in the league, but the Steelers had him as the first running back on the field for their preseason opener with Rico Dowdle and Jaylen Warren sitting out.
This doesn’t guarantee Homer a roster spot, but it sounds like bad news for Kaleb Johnson. He played just five offensive snaps and three on special teams Thursday night. Both numbers need to go up significantly in the remaining preseason games if the 2025 third-round pick has any hope of making the cut.
Most of the roster is already decided, with just four or five spots truly up for grabs. Do the Steelers keep a fifth inside linebacker? Who is the odd man out at safety and running back? And will they really roster four quarterbacks?
One of the most intriguing decisions will come at safety, where rookie Robert Spears-Jennings is competing against Rayshawn Jenkins and Sebastian Castro. There may only be room for one, and the snap counts from the preseason opener spell trouble for the rookie. While Spears-Jennings played 36 snaps on defense, including with the starters, he only logged three on special teams. Castro played 12 special teams snaps while Jenkins played six.
What might this mean for special teamers like Kaden Wetjen? They aren’t going to cut the fourth-round rookie, but McCarthy’s answer about Wetjen’s big preseason performance on offense is worth noting in light of this conversation.
“We need more of it, frankly,” McCarthy said. “He needs to get it in the end zone. I mean that’s the kind of player we viewed him as when we drafted him out of Iowa. He’s young. He’s got some things he’s got to clean up. But, his job responsibilities, when we put him in space we expect him to score.”
A return specialist’s skill set is unique enough to be the exception to McCarthy’s rule. But even then, he’s serious about expecting contributions in both phases of the game.
Only 48 players are allowed to be active on game day. McCarthy expects all of them to pull their weight, and he is going to build the Steelers’ roster accordingly.