Steelers Still Have Glaring Roster Holes Before Training Camp

The Steelers may be back on break, but there’s no pause in the pressure to patch a few key roster gaps before training camp opens in Latrobe, Penn.

Despite a wave of offseason additions, Pittsburgh still has work to do—particularly at wide receiver, where the absence of a true No. 2 looms large. George Pickens would still be around if not for ongoing off-field frustrations, and the market is thinning.

Amari Cooper is one of a scant list of remaining free agents who makes sense for Mike Tomlin’s team, as Jarret Bailey of Behind the Steel Curtain writes. Keenan Allen shut the door on Pittsburgh interest, and Gabe Davis left town without a deal.

A trade feels more plausible closer to November’s deadline, when teams begin re-evaluating their ceilings. If Denver slides, Courtland Sutton could resurface as an option. The same goes for Brandon Aiyuk in San Francisco if the 49ers start fielding offers.

Inside linebacker isn’t as glaring, but the red flags are hard to ignore. Patrick Queen’s consistency remains an open question. Payton Wilson is promising but unproven. Cole Holcomb’s health is still up in the air, and going from Elandon Roberts to Malik Harrison could be a steep drop-off. Even a low-cost veteran like C.J. Mosley or Eric Kendricks might bring needed security to a group teetering on volatility.

The same could be said of the cornerback room. Joey Porter Jr. and Darius Slay project well as the starters, but depth is thin—and general manager Omar Khan acknowledged it.

“The reality is that durability has been an issue,” he said of Cory Trice at the NFL Combine, as transcribed by Bailey. Beanie Bishop currently leads the race at nickelback, but if the Steelers are serious about fielding a top-tier secondary, exploring Jaire Alexander or Jalen Ramsey might make sense.

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