Winners and Losers from Steelers Preseason Game Amid Pending Roster Cuts
The Pittsburgh Steelers ended their Preseason slate with a 19-10 win over the Panthers on Thursday. With final roster cuts being less than a week away, there were some evident winners and losers from Thursday night’s game. Pittsburgh enters the 2025 NFL season with a loaded roster on defense, but still has some key decisions to make on offense. Many Steelers fans are wondering who is going to be the third and final quarterback on the roster. A few weeks ago, the answer seemed obvious, but things have changed since then.
Will Howard currently finds himself in the midst of his rehab for his fractured bone in his throwing hand. He was set to be the QB3 behind Mason Rudolph, until Skylar Thompson had something to do about it. He saw his opportunity and took full advantage of it with an electrifying start to the preseason in a win over the Jaguars, putting up 233 yards, three touchdowns, and zero interceptions. Again, he excelled in the loss to Tampa Bay and the recent win over Carolina, creating lots of buzz and questions surrounding Pittsburgh’s QB depth. With Howard still out, lots of whispers suggesting Thompson will make the final roster started to appear. However, this doesn’t necessarily mean Howard will get cut. Mike Tomlin has been known to recently put an injured player on the IR right before the season to save a roster spot. This is the expectation for the rookie Quarterback. That said, this doesn’t mean Thompson’s spot on this team is safe. They have their experienced backup in Rudolph, and their rookie with upside in Howard. Thompson’s trade value has probably taken a significant bump with his pre-season play. I wouldn’t be surprised if Pittsburgh tried to deal him when Howard comes back from injury.
The most clear loser in my eyes was Jaylen Warren. He was in to start the game, in which he fumbled the ball and missed a big hole on a run, which turned out to be a loss of yardage. In my opinion, they have Trey Sermon, who is a lot more explosive, and Kaleb Johnson, who is an absolute bulldozer with tons of potential. Nothing stands out with Warren, and his vision with the ball is hard to watch. I just don’t see a role for him in this new-look Steelers offense.
