Winners and losers from the Steelers’ final preseason game.
The preseason is officially over for the Pittsburgh Steelers, and now cut day looms as they trim their roster down to 53 ahead of their Week 1 clash with the New York Jets. So, for the final time before games become real, let’s discuss the best and worst performances from the Steelers’ preseason finale against the Carolina Panthers.
Varsity
DT Yahya Black
Black put a stamp on what has been a great summer for him. He had two sacks on consecutive plays, the second of which led to a fumble that was recovered by the Steelers and led to a field goal. It looks like the Steelers found two new franchise pillars in Derrick Harmon and Black, the latter of which has consistently shown he deserves to be the fourth man in the defensive line rotation.
WR Scotty Miller
Miller had three catches on the night for 82 yards, including a 55-yard bomb in the waning seconds of the first half to set up a Ben Sauls field goal. Miller finished preseason play catching all nine of his targets and solidified a spot on the roster.
QB Skylar Thompson
Thompson will be on someone’s roster. He went 11-of-13 for 152 yards and a touchdown pass to Lance McCutcheon to finish exhibition play with four passing scores. He’s made a legitimate case to be the No. 2 behind Aaron Rodgers. If he doesn’t get that role, he’ll be sent somewhere else to be the primary backup.
K Ben Sauls
He won’t be the Steelers’ kicker, but he’ll kick for at least one team this year when someone gets the yips or gets injured. He went four-of-four on the night, including a 50-yarder.
EDGE Jack Sawyer
The rookie from Ohio State had two tackles for loss on the night. The pass-rushing tape hasn’t been great, but we know he can stuff the run. If he develops a solid repertoire of pass-rush moves, he can be a real player for the Steelers going forward.
RB Trey Sermon
Another guy where, if he doesn’t make the Steelers’ roster, I wouldn’t be shocked if another team snatched him up. He had a 30-yard run in the game and has had a good preseason overall.
WR Lance McCutcheon
McCutcheon had a nice showing with three catches for 52 yards and a touchdown. If he doesn’t get a practice squad spot with the Steelers, he’ll get one elsewhere.
CB James Pierre
Pierre had several interceptions throughout training camp and got one in the end zone of Jack Plummer on Thursday. if it comes down to Pierre or Cory Trice for the final cornerback spot on the roster, Pierre will be the guy who gets it.
Junior-Varsity
QB Mason Rudolph
Rudolph had his worst game of the preseason by far. He threw a bad pick on the team’s third drive and finished with 35 yards and just 4.5 yards per attempt.
RB Jaylen Warren
Warren slipped twice without being touched and fumbled. Not a great omen if that is what happens the first time he takes the field in 2025.
Discipline
The Steelers had 13 penalties on the night, five of which came on the first two drives of the game. Preseason or not, that was rough.
OL Ryan McCollum
Three of those penalties went on Ryan McCollum.
We are now t-minus two weeks until the NFL regular season starts in a matchup between the Philadelphia Eagles and Dallas Cowboys, and the Steelers will follow suit the following Sunday against the New York Jets.
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Category: General Sports
