PITTSBURGH -- The Pittsburgh Steelers open the 2021 NFL regular season at the Buffalo Bills on Sept. 12 at Highmark Stadium. The Steelers finished 2020 with a 12-4 record, atop the AFC North, before losing a wild-card game to the Cleveland Browns.
With a training camp trade and a couple of veterans underperforming in the preseason, the 53-man roster projection looks a little different than it did going into camp. The Steelers already parted with one recent draft pick, waiving 2020 pick Antoine Brooks Jr., once a projected front-runner for the nickel job, with an injury designation, and he might not be the last one after below-average camps from Benny Snell Jr. and Jaylen Samuels, selected in the 2019 and 2018 drafts, respectively.
The roster will be cut to 53 players by 4 p.m. ET on Tuesday. Here is a projection:
QUARTERBACKS (3): Ben Roethlisberger, Mason Rudolph, Dwayne Haskins
Haskins isn't taking Rudolph's No. 2 spot, but he did enough to at least earn a roster spot and continue developing in the Steelers' quarterback room. Josh Dobbs made the race for No. 3 a tight one, and his football IQ makes him a favorite of Roethlisberger's on the sideline, but Haskins' higher ceiling earns him a roster spot.
RUNNING BACKS (4): Najee Harris, Anthony McFarland Jr., Kalen Ballage, Derek Watt (FB)
Once the No. 2 and No. 3 running backs, Benny Snell and Jaylen Samuels miss the cut this year because of injury and subpar camps. Snell missed more than a week of training camp with an undisclosed lower body injury, and he lost his spot as No. 2 back in the process. Samuels didn't do anything of note in camp, the kiss of death for a bubble guy. Harris is the Steelers' workhorse back, and McFarland has been used as change-of-pace back with the first-team offense. Ballage, a big-bodied back, moved into the No. 3 spot with a solid showing in camp and the preseason, and Watt will be used more heavily in Matt Canada's offense.
WIDE RECEIVERS (5): JuJu Smith-Schuster, Diontae Johnson, Chase Claypool, James Washington, Ray-Ray McCloud
There were a few challengers -- Cody White, Mathew Sexton, Anthony Johnson, Rico Bussey -- who made pushes for a sixth roster spot, but ultimately the Steelers roll with the same five they had a season ago. McCloud is still a solid returner, and the rest of the group is solid top to bottom. On a more receiver-needy team, White and Sexton would find spots, but there's just no room in Pittsburgh.
TIGHT END (3): Eric Ebron, Pat Freiermuth, Zach Gentry
After a standout camp and preseason, Freiermuth looks like the team's TE1, but Ebron's contract -- which would leave behind a dead cap hit of $3.5 million if cut -- guarantees him a spot on the 53-man roster. Freiermuth is poised to become a favorite red zone target of Roethlisberger's, while Ebron could be an open-field target, if he can hang on to the ball. Gentry, fully healed from his ACL surgery a year ago, had a good camp and the staff has been impressed with his blocking abilities.
OFFENSIVE LINE (9): Kevin Dotson, Zach Banner, Chukwuma Okorafor, J.C. Hassenauer, B.J. Finney, Kendrick Green, Trai Turner, Dan Moore Jr., Joe Haeg
Left off the initial roster projection, Dan Moore Jr. was perhaps one of the most impressive risers in training camp. He was frequently involved in scuffles at the line, showing an edge the offensive line needs, and he showed versatility filling in for both Chuks Okorafor at left tackle and Zach Banner at right. He even played with the first team in front of Roethlisberger for a series against the Detroit Lions. He bumps Rashaad Coward for a roster spot, making Finney the backup guard.
DEFENSIVE LINE (7): Cameron Heyward, Stephon Tuitt, Tyson Alualu, Chris Wormley, Isaiahh Loudermilk, Isaiah Buggs, Carlos Davis
The biggest question for the defensive line group is whether Tuitt will be ready to go by Week 1. He hasn't practiced since training camp opened, and he's still dealing with the devastating death of his younger brother in a hit-and-run incident. With Tuitt out, Wormley has stepped up into a bigger role and has been a solid stand-in for Tuitt.
LINEBACKER (10): T.J. Watt, Melvin Ingram III, Cassius Marsh, Alex Highsmith, Jamir Jones, Devin Bush, Buddy Johnson, Robert Spillane, Marcus Allen, Joe Schobert
Schobert's addition was the missing piece the linebacker group -- and the defense -- needed. With his strength as a coverage corner, Schobert will likely pair with Bush as the starting tandem in base. He's also expected to wear the green dot for communication. It was a tough call to pick two OLBs from Marsh, Quincy Roche and Jones. Marsh had an above-average start to camp, and Jones has popped throughout. Roche, though a draft pick, still has a lot of development left. Jones looks farther along, and the Steelers need to keep at least one more veteran for depth.
CORNERBACK (5): Joe Haden, Cameron Sutton, James Pierre, Arthur Maulet, Justin Layne
Sutton is trending toward a dual role in the secondary -- an outside corner in base and the slot corner in nickel. Antoine Brooks Jr. entered camp as the front-runner for the slot job, but he was waived with an injury designation when the Steelers cut the roster from 85 to 80. Maulet, who injured his ankle against the Lions, benefited most from Brooks' injury, and he could be a viable option in the slot when he gets healthy. The Steelers had two slot men last year in Mike Hilton and Sutton, and Maulet figures to be the guy behind Sutton -- as long as his ankle injury isn't serious.
SAFETY (4) : Minkah Fitzpatrick, Terrell Edmunds, Tre Norwood, Miles Killebrew
Norwood and Killebrew took the most snaps as backups to Fitzpatrick and Edmunds, respectively, when the first-teamers were injured. The safety position was thin throughout camp, but Norwood and Killebrew stood out.
SPECIALIST (3): Chris Boswell, Kameron Canaday, Pressley Harvin III
The punting battle between Harvin and Jordan Berry was one of the highlights of training camp, but ultimately the 2021 draft pick earns the spot over the veteran. He has an unbelievably strong leg and a big upside as he acclimates to the NFL.