Steelers Roster Cuts Tracker 2024: Covering every move Pittsburgh makes towards 53 players

The 2024 NFL preseason is officially over, and the work is only just beginning for the Pittsburgh Steelers.

It's time to put together the 53-man roster and 16-man practice squad. GM Omar Khan and HC Mike Tomlin have some difficult decisions ahead of the roster cutdown deadline on Tuesday, August 27 at 4pm ET.

Below you'll find everything you need to know about roster cuts ahead of the 2024 NFL season.

2024 NFL roster cuts important details

Unlike the past few years, the NFL has reverted from gradual roster cuts throughout the preseason to a single deadline. Rosters must be reduced to 53 players virtually all at once. The team has several different transactions they can use to make that happen. Here are the terms you need to familiarize yourself with:

• Released: When a vested veteran (those who have accrued four seasons in the NFL) is cut from a team. These players are not required to pass through waivers and can immediately become unrestricted free agents. Sometimes that means they'll sign with another team. Other times, teams can release these veterans and re-sign them after they've placed other players on injured reserve.
  
  
• Waived: Players who have not accrued four seasons in the NFL are waived instead of being released. The 31 other NFL teams will have a chance to claim waived players on their 53-man roster by 12pm ET on August 28. If players are not claimed on waivers, they become unrestricted free agents. Waiver priority this time of year is determined by team records from the previous season. The team with the worst record will get the top waiver priority, in this case, the Carolina Panthers. The Steelers are currently 20th in waiver priority.
  
  
• Waived/injured: If these players clear waivers they will revert to the Steelers’ injured reserve list. They can opt to spend the season with Pittsburgh on IR or reach an injury settlement with the team, which will pay them for the number of weeks they'll miss with injury and make them an unrestricted free agent. Players who opt for the latter route can rejoin the team later in the season after they're healthy.
  
  
• Injured reserve: Up until this year, a player had to make the initial 53-man roster to be placed on IR and be eligible to return later in the season. Now, up to two players can be placed on IR on the day of final cuts (Tuesday) and be designated to return. Teams still have the option to carry injured players on the 53-man roster and some good reasons to do so. First, if a player is placed on IR, he is forced to miss at least four games. Second, if a player makes the initial 53 and is placed on IR on the following day, there are eight designations to return from IR—and another two for playoff teams.
  
  
• Reserve/Physically Unable to Perform (PUP) list: Players on the Active/PUP list can be placed on the Reserve/PUP list in a move to get the roster down to 53 players. Players who are moved to the Reserve/PUP list do not count against the 53-man roster. They can attend team meetings, and use team facilities for rehab, but are not allowed to practice for four weeks. After four weeks, another 21-day window opens up, where the player can practice and be activated. If they’re not activated in those 21 days, they must be placed on injured reserve for the rest of the season.
  
  
• Reserve/Non-football injury/illness (NFI) lists : Players placed on either Reserve/NFI lists have to go through the same process as players on the Reserve/PUP list. They do not count toward the 53-man roster. They can go to team meetings and use facilities for rehab, but they’re not allowed to participate in practice for four weeks. After that, a four-week period opens where they can return to practice and the team can choose to activate the player. If the player isn’t activated at the end of the second four-week period, they’ll remain on injured reserve for the rest of the season. The big difference between the NFI and PUP lists is that teams can withhold a portion of a player’s salary if they’re placed on the NFI lists.
  
  
• Reserve/Suspended list: Players who are placed on the Reserve/Suspended list have to serve out an NFL suspension. Players on this list do not count toward 53-man roster limits and are not paid their base salary.
  
  
• Reserve/Did Not Report list: Players who are placed on the Reserve/Did Not Report list have left their team.
  
  
• Reserve/Retired list: Players who are placed on this list have retired from the NFL. The Steelers have already used this with Markus Golden following his sudden retirement .

Steelers' key position battles

The battle that everyone is watching is slot CB. Both are predicted to make the team, but Thomas Graham JR. and rookie UDFA Beanie Bishop are entangled in a competition to be named starter.

Beyond that, the question of who wins the role of the fourth pass rusher could be anyone's guess. The top two candidates are Jeremiah Moon and Kyron Johson, both of whom have had their moments. Unlike slot CB however, whoever loses out likely won't be on the squad.

The third and final roster battle of note will be who wins the sixth and final WR position. The frontrunner is Dez Fitzpatrick given his role as a gunner on special teams, but Jacob Copeland or Quez Watkins could have the Steelers second-guessing their decision.

Steelers players on the roster bubble

There are practically 51 players who are locks to make the Steelers' roster. The same cannot be said about these players:

Note: Players with single asterisk (*) are 2024 draft picks and players with double asterisks (**) are 2024 undrafted free agents.

• QB John Rhys Plumlee**
• RB LaMichael Perine
• RB Jonathan Ward
• RB Aaron Shampklin
• RB-FB Jack Colletto
• RB Daijun Edwards**
• WR Dez Fitzpatrick
• WR Duece Watts
• WR Quez Watkins
• WR Jaray Jenkins
• WR Jacob Copeland
• WR T.J. Luther
• TE Rodney Williams
• TE Matt Sokol
• C Ryan McCollum
• OT Devery Hamilton
• OT Tyler Beach
• C Anderson Hardy
• OG Joey Fisher
• OG Tykeem Doss
• ED Jeremiah Moon
• DE Logan Lee*
• DE Spencer Marquiss
• ED Markus Haynes
• NT Jacob Slade
• DT Willington Previlon
• ED Julius Welschof**
• ED Jacoby Windmon**
• ED Kyron Johnson
• LB Luquay Washington**
• LBKyahva Tezino
• CB Darius Rush
• CB Kalon Barnes
• CB Kyler McMichael
• CB Kiondre Thomas
• CB Zyon Gilbert
• S Jalen Elliott
• S Ryan Watts*
• K Matthew Wright

NFL practice squad rules:

After the claiming period has ended at 11:00 AM CT on Wednesday, Aug. 28, teams are permitted to assemble their 16-man practice squads. Here are the rules on who can be signed to the practice squad.

• Players who do not have an accrued season (I.E. rookies).
  
  
• Players who were on the active roster for fewer than nine regular-season games during their only accrued season(s).
  
  
• Up to four players per team with no more than two accrued seasons.
  
  
• Up to six players per team with no accrued season limitations (I.E. vested veterans).

Players Steelers placed on injured reserve

The Steelers have already placed two players on the Reserve/Injured list, who are still a part of the team and not waived with an injury settlement:

• OC Nate Herbig
• LB David Perales

Because both players were placed on I.R. prior to roster cuts, they are ineligible to return during the season. A new NFL rule will allow the Steelers to place up to two players on I.R. on the day of roster cuts and designate them to return, with LB Cole Holcomb being a prime candidate barring a surprise release .

Players Steelers placed on PUP/NFI lists

The Steelers have just one player on the Active/Physically Unable to Perform list in LB  Cole Holcomb. The 28-year-old veteran suffered a knee injury during Week 9 of last season and was placed on the PUP list to start training camp. He can be placed on the Reserve/PUP list during roster cuts.

Steelers’ 2024 roster cuts: 88 Players remaining

• We will update you when the first cut occurs