Where Does Former 6th Round Pick Land?
by Bo Marchionte
@bomarchionte | College2Pro.com
Published August 18, 2026, 1:25 PM
Mike McCarthy’s Five-Year Roster Blueprint
Mike McCarthy’s five-year run in Dallas provides a useful roster-building blueprint as Pittsburgh approaches the cut to 53. It doesn’t guarantee the Steelers will follow the same numbers position by position, but it does offer a window into how McCarthy has historically allocated roster spots and where Pittsburgh could make some difficult decisions.
How Many Quarterbacks?
The debate in Pittsburgh is whether the Steelers decide to keep four quarterbacks. History suggests McCarthy barely likes keeping three. It took Dallas acquiring Trey Lance via trade in 2023 to push the Cowboys toward carrying a third quarterback.
The two guarantees are Aaron Rodgers and Drew Allar. The bubble quarterbacks are Mason Rudolph and Will Howard. Outside of Rodgers, Rudolph is the only quarterback on the roster who has thrown an NFL pass and won a game as a starter.
Howard appears to be the odd man out at this point. Allar was drafted by McCarthy in the third round. Why these seemingly obvious roster dynamics remain unclear to much of Steelers Nation is difficult to understand.
Cowboys Quarterbacks
- 2020: 2
- 2021: 2
- 2022: 2
- 2023: 3
- 2024: 3
- Five-Year Average: 2.4
Steelers Prediction – 3 QBs
- Aaron Rodgers
- Mason Rudolph
- Drew Allar
How Many Running Backs & Fullbacks?
Thunder and more thunder, with no lightning when it comes to the Steelers’ backfield. Incumbent Jaylen Warren and free-agent addition Rico Dowdle are, pound for pound, about as hard-nosed a duo as you’ll find in the league.
Watching this group from minicamp through training camp, I’m under the mindset that Kaleb Johnson is under pressure.. Lew Nichols III continues to gain momentum. I’m still pissed about his performance last preseason only to watch him lose out to Johnson because of draft investment, but that’s another argument for another time.
Travis Homer is a special-teams ace at heart, but he lacks the offensive upside I believe Nichols could provide should Warren or Dowdle miss time. Warren has played a full 17-game season only once in his four-year NFL career.
Cowboys Running Backs / Fullbacks
- 2020: 4
- 2021: 3
- 2022: 3
- 2023: 4
- 2024: 4
- Five-Year Average: 3.6
Steelers Prediction – 3 RBs, 1 FB
- Jaylen Warren
- Rico Dowdle
- Lew Nichols III
- Riley Nowakowski
How Many Wide Receiver’s?
The high-water mark of seven receivers in Dallas provides the biggest fans of Brandon Smith some hope that he can crack Pittsburgh’s final 53-man roster. However, as well as Smith has played, I think the Steelers ultimately keep six.
Rookie Kaden Wetjen was taken in the fourth round of the 2026 NFL Draft with special-teams value baked heavily into the selection. His roster spot appears safe because of what he can provide in the return game, but his value as an NFL receiver remains largely unknown.
His two receptions against Green Bay provided an encouraging glimpse. One went for 74 yards, with Wetjen doing significant damage after the catch, while the other resulted in a short touchdown from Drew Allar.
Cowboys Wide Receivers
- 2020: 6
- 2021: 6
- 2022: 7
- 2023: 6
- 2024: 6
- Five-Year Average: 6.2
Steelers Prediction – 12 of 53
- DK Metcalf
- Michael Pittman Jr.
- Roman Wilson
- Germie Bernard
- Kaden Wetjen
- Ben Skowronek
How Many Tight End’s?
Without the blueprint above of McCarthy averaging 3.2 tight ends on his final 53-man rosters, I would have left Robert Tonyan off the list.
However, using the past to possibly predict the future and McCarthy mentioning last that Tonyan has “had a hell of a camp” helps push the narrative of keeping three tight ends.
Cowboys Tight Ends
- 2020: 3
- 2021: 3
- 2022: 3
- 2023: 3
- 2024: 4
- Five-Year Average: 3.2
Steelers Prediction – 3 TEs
- Pat Freiermuth
- Darnell Washington
- Robert Tonyan
How Many Offensive Linemen?
This is the first position with some legitimate wiggle room.
We’ve seen McCarthy’s rosters go as low as eight offensive linemen and as high as 10. Pittsburgh has enough depth up front that it can manipulate the final number depending on whether the coaching staff wants to protect another player at a different position.
Ryan McCollum could become the 10th if Pittsburgh opts to go heavy up front. We all know you can never have enough capable offensive linemen, and Pittsburgh is counting on several young players developing while adjusting to new positions and responsibilities.
Troy Fautanu will man the left side after primarily working as the team’s right tackle. Dylan Cook shifts to the right side, with 2026 first-round pick Max Iheanachor being groomed to eventually inherit the job when the time is right.
Broderick Jones led all Steelers players against Green Bay with 49 snaps, accounting for 72% of Pittsburgh’s offensive plays. With free agency looming for Jones in 2027, that workload may have served another purpose: giving the rest of the NFL an extended look at Pittsburgh’s former first-round pick in 2023.
Cowboys Offensive Line
- 2020: 9
- 2021: 9
- 2022: 8
- 2023: 8
- 2024: 10
- Five-Year Average: 8.8
Steelers Prediction – 9 OL
- Troy Fautanu
- Mason McCormick
- Zach Frazier
- Spencer Anderson
- Dylan Cook
- Max Iheanachor
- Broderick Jones
- Brock Hoffman
- Gennings Dunker
How many Defensive Linemen and Outside Linebacker’s?
For roster-building purposes, I’m grouping Pittsburgh’s outside linebackers with the true defensive linemen. That gives us six defensive linemen and four outside linebackers, if that makes everyone happy. I know some on the internet love to complain.
Esezi Otomewo and Dean Lowry have both flashed during training camp. Another name to keep on the radar is 2024 sixth-round pick Logan Lee. Currently injured, Lee still appears to be a developmental player the Steelers like.
Odd how nobody seems ready to declare Lee, another sixth-round pick, the next Mean Joe Greene. Yet Howard, also a sixth-round pick, occasionally gets treated like Canton already has the measurements for his bust.
Cowboys Defensive Line / EDGE / OLB
- 2020: 10
- 2021: 10
- 2022: 11
- 2023: 10
- 2024: 9
- Five-Year Average: 10.0
Steelers Prediction – 10 DE/OLB
- Cam Heyward
- Derrick Harmon
- Keeanu Benton
- Yahya Black
- Sebastian Joseph-Day
- Gabriel Rubio
- J. Watt
- Alex Highsmith
- Nick Herbig
- Jack Sawyer
How Many Inside Linebacker?
This group seemed relatively clear-cut before Pittsburgh signed veteran Elandon Roberts on August 13.
Make no mistake.
Roberts brings a different energy.
His presence puts a true enforcer in the middle of Patrick Graham’s defense and adds another experienced, downhill presence to a room that already offers several different skill sets.
Patrick Queen is anxious to prove last season was a one-off rather than the beginning of a decline. Payton Wilson is the space player, capable of running and covering. Cole Holcomb remains the physical, hard-hitting veteran. Carson Bruener is the young, ascending tackle machine.
Roberts adds another hammer.
Cowboys Linebackers
- 2020: 6
- 2021: 6
- 2022: 4
- 2023: 4
- 2024: 5
- Five-Year Average: 5.0
Steelers Prediction – 4 ILBs
- Patrick Queen
- Payton Wilson
- Cole Holcomb
- Carson Bruener
- Elandon Roberts
How Many Secondary Defenders?
This might be the trickiest grouping on the entire roster.
Donte Kent hasn’t stayed healthy but Pittsburgh seem intent on waiting. D’Shawn Jamison looks like the type of practice-squad player who has legitimate game-day ability. Veteran Rayshawn Jenkins has experience, but does that experience earn him a spot on the final 53?
Then there’s Doneiko Slaughter, one of the genuine camp darlings.
Slaughter started against Green Bay and still found himself playing deep into the fourth quarter, including special-teams work. That workload matters. Pittsburgh clearly wants an extended evaluation of No. 19, and every additional snap give Slaughter another opportunity to force his way onto the roster.
Donte Kent, I think gets the nod over Slaughter. Last preseason the Steelers cut then undrafted Beanie Bishop to keep Kent. I think the same happens this summer with Kent winning out while being sidelined.
Cowboys Secondary
- 2020: 10
- 2021: 11
- 2022: 12
- 2023: 12
- 2024: 9
- Five-Year Average: 10.8
Steelers Prediction – 10 CB, S
- Joey Porter Jr.
- Jamel Dean
- Asante Samuel Jr.
- Daylen Everette
- Jalen Ramsey
- Jaquan Brisker
- DeShon Elliott
- Brandin Echols
- Robert Spears-Jennings
- Donte Kent
How Many Specialists?
There isn’t much mystery here. One kicker, one punter and one long-snapper are universal in the National Football League.
Cowboys Specialists
- 2020: 3
- 2021: 3
- 2022: 3
- 2023: 3
- 2024: 3
- Five-Year Average: 3.0
Steelers Prediction – 3 ST
- Chris Boswell
- Cameron Johnston
- Christian Kuntz
PHOTO CREDIT/FRANK HYATT COLLEGE2PRO
