Pittsburgh Steelers 2026 Initial 53-Man Roster

The Pittsburgh Steelers’ initial 2026 53-man roster has finally been set. Sunday evening was the deadline for teams to trim their roster down. Rosters remain fluid, and this group isn’t guaranteed to be the same group that plays on opening day against the Atlanta Falcons.

Still, to recap a busy day, here’s where things stand.

OFFENSE – 26

QB (4) – Aaron Rodgers, Mason Rudolph, Will Howard, Drew Allar
RB (3) – Jaylen Warren, Rico Dowdle, Eli Heidenreich
FB (1) – Riley Nowakowski
TE (3) – Pat Freiermuth, Darnell Washington, Robert Tonyan
WR (6) – DK Metcalf, Michael Pittman Jr., Roman Wilson, Germie Bernard, Ben Skowronek, Kaden Wetjen
OT (3) – Troy Fautanu, Max Iheanachor, Dylan Cook
iOL (6) – Zach Frazier, Mason McCormick, Spencer Anderson, Brock Hoffman, Gennings Dunker, Ryan McCollum

Defense – 24

DL (7) – Cam Heyward, Keeanu Benton, Derrick Harmon, Yahya Black, Sebastian Joseph-Day, Gabriel Rubio, Kevin Jobity Jr.
EDGE (4) – T.J. Watt, Alex Highsmith, Nick Herbig, Jack Sawyer
ILB (4) – Patrick Queen, Payton Wilson, Carson Bruener, Cole Holcomb
CB (6) – Joey Porter Jr., Jamel Dean, Jalen Ramsey, Asante Samuel Jr., Brandin Echols, Daylen Everette
S (3) – Jaquan Brisker, Robert Spears-Jennings, Rayshawn Jenkins

Special Teams – 3

K (1) – Chris Boswell
P (1) – Cameron Johnston
LS (1) – Christian Kuntz

Reserve/PUP – 1

CB Donte Kent

Injured Reserve – 5

SS DeShon Elliott (Designated To Return)
OT Jack Driscoll (Designated To Return)
DL Logan Lee
DB Daequan Hardy
WR Cole Burgess

– Among the notable players released or traded: ILB Elandon Roberts, DL Dean Lowry, OT Broderick Jones, and RB Kaleb Johnson. The latter two were traded away over the weekend.

– Pittsburgh’s initial roster includes all 10 draft picks, including final selection RB Eli Heidenreich.

– The team is keeping seven defensive linemen, with UDFA Kevin Jobity a surprise name.

– Safety DeShon Elliott, who missed half of last year with a leg/knee injury, will begin the year on injured reserve with a designation to return. He appeared in one preseason game but sat out practices this week. Mike McCarthy downplayed the seriousness of his injury, but it’ll knock him out until at least Week 5.

– Trading OT Broderick Jones boosted Ryan McCollum’s odds to make the 53. He sticks on the initial list.

– Cornerback Joey Porter Jr. was activated off Active/PUP and added to the 53-man roster. Cornerback Donte Kent was moved to Reserve/PUP, keeping him out for at least the first four games of 2026.