4 Steelers players on roster bubble who must shine in preseason

The Pittsburgh Steelers are hoping to compete for the Vince Lombardi Trophy this year, and that journey begins with training camp and the preseason. One of the biggest challenges the Steelers are facing is how to budget their 53 roster spots.

No matter what happens, some talented players are unfortunately going to be cut. Let’s take a look at four players who are on the Steelers roster bubble. They will all need to excel heading into the season to have a chance at making the final 53-man roster.

Van Jefferson hanging on by a thread 

Van Jefferson‘s spot on the Steelers’ roster is likely secure for the time being, but that’s solely due to the team having essentially no depth at the position. His job security has very little to do with anything Jefferson has proven to be certain.

If the team acquires a star receiver on the trade market such as Brandon Aiyuk, Deebo Samuel or DK Metcalf, Jefferson could quickly find himself fighting just to stay on the roster.

Steelers TE room may not have space for Rodney Williams 

Rodney Williams has some upside, but he doesn’t stand much chance of making the Steelers’ roster unless he excels or situations outside of his control change. Former Penn State star Pat Freiermuth is the team’s undisputed starter when healthy. Health is quite the big caveat though, as Freiermuth has battled a long list of injuries throughout his NFL career.

Because of Freiermuth’s availability concerns, it would be wise for the team to carry at least three tight ends. They could choose to carry four, in which case Williams would have an excellent shot at making the roster. Carrying four tight ends would require cuts elsewhere though, and the Steelers may not view Williams as a valuable enough player to justify that trade-off.

He can have some say in this decision by making himself an asset during training camp and preseason. Still, he could do everything right and the team could still choose to limit their tight end resources to three players.

If this is the case, Williams is likely the odd man out. Freiermuth is the starter, Darnell Washington is the backup and Connor Heyward is a useful player who can handle a number of roles but he’s primarily a tight end.

Heyward will make the roster due to his versatility and his proven ability to make impact plays, so two spots are automatically taken. The question becomes, what happens with Washington? He’s definitely going to make the roster, but it’s entirely possible that the team views him as an offensive lineman rather than a massive tight end.

If they move Washington to the line, Williams could sneak in as the third tight end. Most likely, though, they’ll stick with the status quo. That means Wilson has to be at his best and prove to the team that they can’t afford to cut him regardless of their other plans for the position and their allocation of resources for the overall roster.