Boswell's deal matches the record-setting contract Brandon Aubrey earned with the Cowboys this offseason in terms of its $7 million annual average. That said, Boswell is 35 years old, and his contract could well have a potential 'out' before its conclusion in 2030. Boswell converted 27 of 32 field-goal attempts (84 percent) while suiting up for all 17 regular-season games 2025, in addition to 42 of 43 extra-point tries. He converted more than 90 percent of his field-goal tries in both 2023 and 2024.

The team roster and Heidenreich's player page both show 'RB/WR' as his position, reflecting uncertainty about his NFL future after a three-year run at Navy yielded 169 carries and 109 catches (for 3,151 yards and 23 TDs). A 4.44 40 at the combine confirmed that Heidenreich has NFL-caliber athleticism, but he's thin for a running back (6-feet, 198 pounds) and doesn't have much experience running routes from the perimeter. While there's always some chance the Steelers create a unique role in their offense for Heidenreich, the more likely reality for a seventh-round pick (230th overall) is that he'll need to show value on special teams and/or as the backup for a more conventional role (e.g., third-down back, slot receiver).

Hardy is now set to remain with the Steelers despite having previously been waived with an injury designation. As the 24-year-old will be forced to miss the entirety of the upcoming campaign, he will now shift his focus to getting healthy for the 2027 season.

The tight end spent time on the practice squads of Pittsburgh and Philadelphia in 2025, though he never appeared in a regular-season game. Bell was a seventh-round pick of the Patriots in 2024, catching two passes (on three targets) for 20 yards as a rookie.

Jones would have been paid $19.1 million for 2027 if the Steelers had picked up the option, but instead his rookie contract will end after this coming season. Brooke Pryor of ESPN.com reports that Pittsburgh's decision to decline the option was influenced by Jones' neck injury, which cut his season short early last year and may prevent him from being ready for training camp — and potentially Week 1 of the regular season — in 2026. When Jones has been healthy he's played well, and he started 37 of the 38 regular-season games in which he appeared over the past two campaigns.

Metayer appeared in 43 college games, playing at Cincinnati for two seasons before transferring to Arizona State to finish his collegiate career with the Sun Devils. The tight end caught 94 passes for 971 yards and 14 touchdowns over the four-year span. Metayer will spend training camp competing with Riley Nowakowski, J.J. Galbreath and Lake McRee for the chance to start the season providing special teams and offensive depth value behind starters Pat Freiermuth and Darnell Washington.

Marjan ended his college career at Kansas, making 14 of 17 field goals (including a career-long attempt of 55 yards) and converting all 40 of his extra-point tries. Current Steelers kicker Chris Boswell suffered some inconsistencies near the end of the 2025 season, so Marjan is likely a training camp addition to help Boswell tighten up his game with some competition. Boswell is well regarded as one of the league's most productive kickers, so it likely would take a collapse by him and a stellar showing by Marjan to change any positions on the depth chart by September.

Johnson bounced around several practice squads last year without suiting up for a regular-season game. The wide receiver ended on the Broncos' unit, but he'll make a return to the Steelers ahead of training camp. A cousin of legendary former Bengals wide receiver Chad Ochocinco, Johnson will fight for a roster spot as a part of the receiving corps led by DK Metcalf and Michael Pittman.

It's not often that you see multi-year starting safeties with 4.32 speed fall to the seventh round, but for Spears-Jennings (6-foot-2, 205 pounds) that's exactly what happened after starting at Oklahoma the last two years. Spears-Jennings is a fearless and explosive safety but one whose otherwise uncommon athleticism has proven difficult to harness effectively. Despite his speed, it was challenging for Spears-Jennings to maintain his coverage assignments, and in pursuit he's liable to misfire. The positive news is that even if he never improves at all, Spears-Jennings should be a capable special-teams contributor.

Nowakowski (6-foot-2, 250 pounds) was a standout tight end at Indiana and before that Wisconsin, and with this selection the Steelers might have picked Nowakowski to be their replacement for Connor Heyward, who left for the Raiders in free agency. Nowakowski looks more like a fullback than a tight end, and if he's replacing Heyward then the Steelers might have concluded the same thing.

Wetjen (5-foot-9, 193 pounds) will have his arrival in Pittsburgh's wide receiver corps overshadowed by rookie second-round pick Germie Bernard, which is reasonable given the former's undersized frame and lack of top-end speed (4.47 40-yard dash). While Wetjen could provide competition for depth wideouts Ben Skowronek and A.T. Perry this offseason, his best odds of contributing as a rookie will be in the return game, as he led the FBS with an average of 26.8 yards per punt return in his 2025 season at Iowa, returning three punts (as well as one kickoff) for a touchdown. It will be a surprise if Wetjen doesn't challenge Donte Kent (ankle) for the top punt returner gig immediately.

The mulleted wonder from Iowa stays in gold and black now that he's headed to Pittsburgh, where Dunker is expected to eventually emerge as a quality starting guard. Dunker (6-foot-5, 319 pounds) played tackle at Iowa but might be undersized for the position, whereas at guard Dunker's traits grade very well. With a 5.18-second 40 and 108-inch broad jump, Dunker has above-average athleticism to work with on a solid frame by guard standards.

Everette (6-foot-1, 196 pounds) put together quality tape as a three-year starter for Georgia and did additional favors to his draft stock at the NFL Scouting Combine, where he logged a 4.38-second 40-yard dash time. Pittsburgh is well-stocked at cornerback, with Joey Porter having been joined by Jamel Dean in free agency, and Asante Samuel re-signing as a capable depth option. While Everette could have difficulty earning a consistent role early in his NFL career, he also may receive the luxury of a developmental window to realize the upside provided by his speed and frame.

Allar (6-foot-5, 228 pounds) is recovering from season-ending surgery undergone in November to address a broken left ankle. He threw for 1,100 yards, eight touchdowns and three INTs before being injured in 2025 and was inconsistent in that limited action. That said, Allar boasts experience as a three-year collegiate starter to go with prototypical size, and it's difficult to imagine a more intriguing landing spot for the 22-year-old signal-caller than Pittsburgh, where Aaron Rodgers' pending decision about playing the 2026 season looms large. Excepting Rodgers, who currently remains a free agent, the Steelers' quarterback room houses Mason Rudolph and 2025 sixth-round pick Will Howard. In the event that Rodgers isn't Pittsburgh's starter in 2026, it would be intriguing to see a healthy Allar in a genuine competition. It remains to be seen whether Allar will be able to handle any amount of on-field work during the offseason program.

Bernard spent the last two seasons of his four-year college career at Alabama, where he operated mostly as the team's Z receiver and finished the 2025 campaign with 64 catches for 862 yards and seven touchdowns across 14 games. He posted the fastest three-cone time at the 2026 NFL Scouting Combine (6.71 seconds), and he has the overall athleticism and skill set that should allow him to serve as an immediate contributor for the Steelers, whether it's Aaron Rodgers or another quarterback throwing passes to him. Bernard figures to slide in as the team's WR3 behind veterans DK Metcalf and Michael Pittman and ahead of 2024 third-rounder Roman Wilson.

Iheanachor (6-foot-6, 321 pounds) is light on experience but extremely athletic, boasting a 4.91-second 40 (96th percentile among offensive tackles, according to Mockdraftable) even at a dense build. It's not clear how concerning the medical reports have been on incumbent left tackle Broderick Jones (neck), but it's possible that the Steelers will consider Iheanachor at left guard if he doesn't claim the starting left tackle role.

In 10 regular-season games with the Bears in 2025, Homer recorded just one carry and three catches, and with the Steelers he'll remain in a depth role in a backfield that also includes Jaylen Warren, Rico Dowdle and Kaleb Johnson. Additionally, Homer could emerge as a core special teamer for Pittsburgh, with Mike DeFabo of The Athletic noting that the 5-foot-10, 211-pounder — who joined the league as a sixth-round pick by Seattle in 2019 — is a potential kick-return option for his new team.

This connection has been rumored to be in the works for over a week and appears to have finally come to fruition. Hoffman played in all 51 regular-season games for Dallas over the past three campaigns, making 16 starts during that span. He could compete for the starting role at left guard with Pittsburgh and is also able to line up at center.

Joseph-Day spent the last two years in Tennessee, and he finished the 2025 regular season with 41 tackles (22 solo), including 2.0 sacks, and one fumble recovery across 17 games. He started in 10 games for the Titans last year but will likely operate in a rotational role at defensive end for the Steelers behind Cameron Heyward and Derrick Harmon.

Warren worked in a backfield timeshare with Kenneth Gainwell in 2025, with the former turning 251 touches into 1,291 scrimmage yards in the regular season while the latter racked up 1,023 scrimmage yards on 187 touches. Gainwell signed a two-year, $14 million contract in free agency with the Buccaneers, while Pittsburgh has brought in Dowdle to replace him on a two-year, $12.25 million contract. Dowdle is coming off consecutive seasons with at least 1,076 rushing yards and runs with more power than Warren or Gainwell, but Warren's likely to see the majority of playing time in passing situations while possibly rotating with Dowdle on early downs.

The safety started all 17 regular-season games and both playoff games for the Bears in 2025, finishing the regular season with 93 tackles (52 solo) and eight pass breakups. It was a nice return season for Brisker after missing most of the 2024 campaign with concussion-related issues. The 2022 second-round pick could play a similar role for Pittsburgh as he did for Chicago last year.

Heyward effectively signed a new contract worth $32.25 million over two years, including the first year guaranteed. This move also freed up $5.5 million in cap space for the Steelers, according to Gerry Dulac of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. Heyward will turn 37 years old in May but isn't showing any signs of slowing down, as he's coming off a strong season where he recorded 78 tackles (38 solo), including 3.5 sacks, and six pass breakups through 17 regular-season games (48.0 defensive snaps per game).

Johnston finished the 2025 season with the Giants' practice squad after being waived from the Bills due to a foot injury he sustained in late September. Now healthy, Johnston will look to contribute to the Steelers' special-teams unit on a one-year deal.

Otomewo appeared in 12 regular-season games with Pittsburgh last season, logging nine tackles (five solo) across 173 defensive snaps and another 24 on special teams. He'll compete for a roster spot this offseason.

Per NFL.com, it's a two-year, $12.25 million deal for Dowdle, who is set to move over to the AFC after one year in Carolina. He produced a 236-1,076-6 regular-season rushing line last season with the Panthers, which was nearly identical to the 235-1,079-2 line he posted during his 2024 breakout campaign with the Cowboys. Dowdle also caught exactly 39 passes each of the past two seasons, totaling 546 yards and four touchdowns, and he's chipped in as a kick returner throughout his career. The Steelers have Jaylen Warren locked in as their primary RB, so Dowdle figures to form a 1-2 punch with the incumbent starter, though his role may be somewhat different from that of Kenneth Gainwell, who featured as a pass catcher in 2025 but is departing in free agency to Tampa Bay.