DeFabo notes that Wilson got almost all of the first-team reps in such sets this spring, but the competition between the 2024 third-rounder and Bernard should heat up during training camp. Of the two, Bernard — who the Steelers took 47th overall in the 2026 NFL Draft — brings more fantasy upside down the road, but it remains to be seen how much work he'll see out of the gate in the team's Aaron Rodgers-helmed offense. With that in mind, DeFabo suggests that while the 6-foot-1, 206-pound Alabama product has the versatility to line up everywhere, he "probably will carve out his niche as a big slot" as a rookie.

Beyond the aforementioned trio, Roman Wilson, Ben Skowronek and Kaden Wetjen are in line to compete for depth-chart slotting this summer, while Kaboly suggests it's still possible the Steelers could add a veteran WR at some point during training camp. In any case, on the heels of a 2025 regular season in which he recorded 59 catches for 850 yards and six touchdowns on 99 targets to go with two carries for 12 yards and another score in 15 contests, Metcalf will continue to be a key target for returning QB Aaron Rodgers, who will be reunited with head coach Mike McCarthy, in the wake of Mike Tomlin's decision to step away from the team in January. With added competition for targets on board, however, Metcalf's fantasy ceiling in 2026 hinges largely on how Pittsburgh's passing game, still helmed by its 42-year-old signal caller, progresses under the guidance of McCarthy.

On the heels of back-to-back seasons (one with Dallas and one with Carolina) during which he topped 1,000 rushing yards, Dowdle bolsters a Steelers backfield that saw Kenneth Gainwell depart via free agency this offseason. It remains to be seen how the carries/targets will be divided between Warren and Dowdle in 2026, but the two players' different skill sets could lead to a "thunder and lightning" approach utilizing Warren's shiftiness and quickness and Dowdle's bruising style. Also in the mix for complementary touches are 2025 third-rounder Kaleb Johnson and versatile rookie Eli Heidenreich, with added context regarding Pittsburgh's backfield approach set to arrive once team drills commence in training camp.

Winmon spent parts of the 2024 and 2025 seasons on the Steelers' practice squad, and he's back with the team ahead of training camp. He'll be vying for a depth spot in the front seven on Pittsburgh's 53-man roster in 2026.

Wentz was initially signed by Seattle as an undrafted free agent in May, but he was waived last week. The Kansas product now will get a look in Pittsburgh. He'll be a longshot to make the season-opening roster, but it's nonetheless a favorable situation for Wentz given the Steelers' lack of experienced wideouts behind DK Metcalf and Michael Pittman.

The 6-foot-4, 195-pound wide receiver spent time on the Vikings practice squad in 2025 and during the 2026 offseason prior to being waived last week. Davis, who entered the NFL as an undrafted free agent following the 2025 NFL Draft, has yet to make his regular-season debut.

Davis was cut by Las Vegas back in April, and now he'll be linking up with his fourth different team in as many years. All of two-time Pro Bowler Patrick Queen, 2024 third-rounder Payton Wilson, Malik Harrison and veteran Cole Holcomb are expected to contribute at inside linebacker for Pittsburgh in 2026, which doesn't leave much room for the free agent signing Davis to make an immediate impact.

Coming off the heels of a season in which he suited up for 17 games with Kansas City, Tonyan is now joining his fifth different team in as many years. Pat Freiermuth and Darnell Washington are returning at tight end for the Steelers, but they released veteran Jonnu Smith back in March, so there's room for Tonyan to potentially snag a spot on the 53-man roster for 2026.

Since Pittsburgh selected him in the third round of the 2023 NFL Draft, Washington has been used regularly in an offense that trots out multiple tight ends on most offensive snaps, ranging from 497 to 543 plays per season. He set or matched career highs across the board in 2025 with a 31-364-1 line on 43 targets across 16 regular-season games, and with Jonnu Smith and Connor Heyward exiting as free agents this offseason, Washington now has only Pat Freiermuth as notable competition for TE reps for the upcoming campaign.

Herbig is coming off the best season of his young career — he registered 7.5 sacks over 15 regular-season games in 2025 even as he played behind four-time All-Pro T.J. Watt and Alex Highsmith. Both Watt and Highsmith figure to return in 2026, limiting Herbig's opportunities, but he'll still technically be playing on his rookie deal until 2027.

Warren is listed at 215 pounds on the team's official site, and he looks noticeably slimmer at OTAs this week, according to Adamski. Warren set career highs as a rusher last season, carrying the ball 211 times for 958 yards and six touchdowns as part of the Steelers' backfield duo with Kenneth Gainwell, who left in the offseason as a free agent to join Tampa Bay. Pittsburgh replaced Gainwell with Rico Dowdle, and 2025 third-round pick Kaleb Johnson is also in the backfield mix after rushing just 28 times for 69 yards as a rookie. Dowdle is more of a prototypical early-down runner at 5-foot-11 and 215 pounds, so perhaps Warren slimmed down to get quicker as a change-of-pace and satellite back after Gainwell was targeted 85 times in 2025. Across four NFL seasons, Warren has 167 career regular-season catches for 1,227 yards and two touchdowns.

The veteran defensive lineman from Northwestern missed all of last season due to a knee injury. Across 12 regular-season appearances in 2024, Lowry posted five total tackles, including 1.0 sacks, and one pass defensed. He's expected to compete for a depth role on the Steelers' defensive line.

As a result, Freiermuth's cap hit for the 2026 campaign will decrease from its current $11.2 million. Pittsburgh's tight end room lost both Jonnu Smith (released) and Connor Heyward (signed with Raiders) this offseason, which leaves Darnell Washington (forearm) as the only established option at the position aside from Freiermuth. With QB Aaron Rodgers back in the fold as well, Freiermuth may be poised for an uptick in volume after putting together a 41-486-4 line on 54 targets in 17 regular-season games in 2025.

Jones suffered a neck injury in the Steelers' Week 12 loss against the Bears last season, one that required a spinal fusion surgery the veteran offensive tackle is still recovering from. Considering the Steelers selected offensive tackle Max Iheanachor in the first round of the 2026 NFL Draft, Jones, once healthy, may need to compete for a job that he previously appeared to have a solid grasp on.

Kent missed the majority of the Steelers' 2025 campaign due to an ankle injury sustained during training camp. Then, just as his 21-day practice window was opened Dec. 3 for a potential return, he sustained an ACL injury that sidelined him for the remainder of his rookie season. However, it now appears he's moved past both issues and will battle for a depth spot in Pittsburgh's cornerback room as the offseason progresses.

Rodgers signed with the Steelers on Monday — the first day of OTAs. He made the decision to play another season in late April or early May, after the NFL Draft, and was then in Pittsburgh for a couple of weeks before officially signing his one-year contract. He'll turn 43 late in the 2026 season, and there'd be no guarantee of a starting job in 2027 even if he wanted one. Rodgers also mentioned that he anticipated retiring once Mike Tomlin was gone, only to reconsider when the Steelers hired Mike McCarthy, who was Rodgers' head coach from 2006 to 2018 in Green Bay. The offense could look much different from last year's, with the Steelers adding WRs Michael Pittman and Germie Bernard to give a better three-wide look.

Prior to Rodgers re-signing, Howard was in position to compete for a starting role against veteran Mason Rudolph and rookie third-round pick Drew Allar (ankle). Rodgers is comfortably situated atop the quarterback depth chart now that the 42-year-old starter has returned to Pittsburgh for the start of OTAs, while Howard will have to jostle for positioning on the depth chart and could realistically miss out on making the team at all.

Rodgers will reclaim the starting role he possessed in 2025, leaving Rudolph to battle for the second spot on the depth chart with 2025 sixth-round pick Will Howard and 2026 third-round pick Drew Allar (ankle). If one of the younger quarterbacks shows promise in training camp, the Steelers could also opt to trade Rudolph to a team seeking an experienced backup. Rudolph has posted a 9-9-1 record in 19 regular-season starts split between the Steelers and Titans, including a loss in his lone start of 2025 with Pittsburgh while Rodgers was sidelined by a wrist injury.

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.

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.

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.