PITTSBURGH -- Still a veteran-laden team, the 2021 Pittsburgh Steelers figure to have many inexperienced first- and second-year players in starting roles. With retirements, releases and free agency departures, the offensive line has the most turnover, while the secondary is another area that has a lot of positions up for grabs.
The Steelers finished the regular season 12-4 and won the AFC North to return to the playoffs after a two-year drought. Pittsburgh returns fewer than 20 starters from that team as well as head coach Mike Tomlin and coordinators Keith Butler (defense) and Danny Smith (special teams).
With training camp opening Wednesday at Heinz Field, here's a 53-player roster projection:
QUARTERBACKS (3): Ben Roethlisberger, Mason Rudolph, Dwayne Haskins
The Steelers opted to forgo drafting a quarterback this year, instead signing Haskins after he was released by the Washington Football Team. The former first-rounder has impressed his teammates with his offseason workout, and in the past, he's continued to work hard during training camp. The toughest thing to evaluate with Haskins is his long-term consistency, something that will only be revealed as the season goes on. Because his ceiling is so high, the Steelers will keep Haskins to round out the room instead of holding on to Josh Dobbs.
RUNNING BACKS (5): Najee Harris, Anthony McFarland Jr., Jaylen Samuels, Kalen Ballage, Derek Watt (FB)
Let's get the obvious out of the way first: There's no Benny Snell Jr. on this roster projection. Snell had every opportunity to prove he could be the Steelers' bell cow back during James Conner's injuries, but he only topped 100 yards once last season. The 2019 fourth-rounder started three games the rest of the season, but he struggled to make gains in short yardage situations and finished the season averaging 3.32 yards per carry. McFarland and Samuels are locks thanks to their history with Canada on the college level, and Ballage has looked like the better back during the offseason workouts. The Steelers also rarely used a fullback last year, but Watt played 213 snaps on special teams.
WIDE RECEIVERS (5): JuJu Smith-Schuster, Diontae Johnson, Chase Claypool, James Washington, Ray-Ray McCloud
With Smith-Schuster making the unexpected decision to remain in Pittsburgh another season, the wide receivers are poised to return the same core five as a season ago. Smith-Schuster expressed his desire to play on the outside more and named McCloud as the next-best option in the slot. If Smith-Schuster gets his wish, McCloud could be far more involved in the offense this season.
TIGHT END (3): Eric Ebron, Pat Freiermuth, Zach Gentry
Canada's college scheme often featured tight ends, and that figures to carry over to the Steelers' new offense, and that already has Ebron excited. Rookie Freiermuth has a reputation as a solid blocking tight end, but he's also a receiving threat -- especially in the red zone. Freiermuth didn't drop a single pass in the red zone during his three seasons at Penn State. If he continues that trend in the pros, he'll quickly become one of Roethlisberger's most reliable targets. Gentry, on track to be healthy after tearing his ACL late last season, rounds out the group ahead of Kevin Rader.
OFFENSIVE LINE (9): Kevin Dotson, Zach Banner, Chukwuma Okorafor, J.C. Hassenauer, B.J. Finney, Rashaad Coward, Kendrick Green, Trai Turner, Joe Haeg
The Steelers selected Dan Moore Jr. in the fourth round of the 2021 draft for depth at offensive tackle, but David DeCastro's surprise release means this line is more in flux than it's been in a while. To steady it, the Steelers need the right mix of young, aggressive players and versatile veterans. The Steelers didn't view Moore as a project when they drafted him, but Haeg, who was on the Tampa Bay Buccaneers Super Bowl team a year ago, is the safer choice.
DEFENSIVE LINE (7): Cameron Heyward, Stephon Tuitt, Tyson Alualu, Chris Wormley, Isaiahh Loudermilk, Isaiah Buggs, Carlos Davis
The Steelers traded up to get Loudermilk in the draft, making it unlikely they part with him before the regular season. He isn't a starter right now, but he'll be good depth behind Heyward and Tuitt. Getting Alualu back after he was all but gone to Jacksonville is a huge boost for the nose tackle spot. The Steelers could opt to keep either Buggs or Davis and use the extra spot for another player in the secondary, but they learned last year how necessary depth was on the line.
LINEBACKER (10): T.J. Watt, Melvin Ingram, Cassius Marsh, Alex Highsmith, Quincy Roche, Devin Bush, Buddy Johnson, Robert Spillane, Vince Williams, Marcus Allen
The Steelers solved a significant depth issue by signing Ingram just days before the opening of training camp. Ingram can either compete with second-year OLB Highsmith for the full-time starting job opposite Watt, or the 32-year-old can be part of a three-man rotation at the position. Behind that trio, the primary backups are journeyman Marsh and 2021 sixth-round pick Roche. At inside linebacker this time a year ago, Allen took up one of the secondary spots, but he found his calling at inside linebacker when depth concerns forced him to switch positions. He did some good things as a replacement player, but he was especially valuable as a special teams player where he played 43% of special teams snaps.
SECONDARY (8): Joe Haden, Cameron Sutton, James Pierre, Minkah Fitzpatrick, Terrell Edmunds, Antoine Brooks Jr., Tre Norwood, Justin Layne
The primary hurdle facing the secondary is replacing slot corner Mike Hilton, who went to the Bengals in free agency. Brooks Jr. had a solid offseason and looks to be the favorite to replace Hilton. There's also the last-resort option of putting Sutton inside and finding another new starter opposite of Haden, a spot that opened up when the team released starting corner Steve Nelson. Pierre performed well during minicamp, intercepting Roethlisberger twice. Justin Layne, a 2019 third-rounder, didn't stand out during the offseason work. Though his position is one the Steelers need to fortify, he'll need a strong camp to earn a roster spot.
SPECIALIST (3): Chris Boswell, Jordan Berry, Kameron Canaday
The Steelers drafted big-bodied punter Pressley Harvin III in April, but Berry has the edge at the position through OTAs and minicamp. A strong training camp battle, though, could swing this one the other way. The Steelers have already moved on from Berry once, signing Dustin Colquitt a year ago before cutting him a few games into the season and bringing Berry back. His job is far from secure, but he has a leg up on his competition.