In just one day, Pittsburgh Steelers football — actual football played in a stadium against another opponent — will be back in our lives until January (and maybe even February). The Steelers kick off the preseason Saturday night at EverBank Stadium against the Jacksonville Jaguars at 7 PM/EST
Though veterans and big names like Aaron Rodgers, DK Metcalf, T.J. Watt and more won’t play, we’ll still get a look at the Steelers in-stadium for the first time this season after more than two weeks of training camp practices in Latrobe.
We’ll see how the defense — even missing a number of key players — communicates in-stadium. How will the young offensive line look? What does Mason Rudolph have in store in his first appearance back in a Steelers uniform?
Will the promising rookie class make an impact right away?
Outside of those storylines, Saturday night’s preseason opener will be key for a number of roster bubble players as they continue to battle for a spot on the Steelers’ 53-man roster.
Below, I lay out my five key roster bubble players to watch against the Jaguars.
1. CB BEANIE BISHOP JR.
Should a guy who had four interceptions last season as an undrafted rookie free agent, and one who played 50% of the Steelers’ defensive snaps be considered a roster bubble guy? That’s where I am right now with Beanie Bishop Jr.
Sure, he had some good moments last season, picking off Aaron Rodgers twice, securing an interception one week later on Monday Night Football to seal the win, and being a valuable piece in the slot overall. But the Steelers made a number of changes to their secondary this offseason bringing in veterans Jalen Ramsey, Darius Slay and Brandin Echols at cornerback and Chuck Clark at safety.
Ramsey could play in the slot, which would limit Bishop’s role entirely. Right now, he finds himself battling with the likes of James Pierre, Cory Trice Jr., and rookie seventh-rounder Donte Kent for a roster spot. It seems conceivable that Bishop could be the odd man out in the secondary.
He’s listed as the backup nickel cornerback behind Ramsey on the Steelers’ first preseason depth chart, and he hasn’t made much of an impact so far in training camp. It’s going to be a numbers crunch at cornerback, so with Trice and Kent dealing with injuries, Bishop needs to make plays and start to stand out this summer, both defensively and on special teams.
2. WR SCOTTY MILLER
Much like Bishop, Scotty Miller finds himself staring down a numbers crunch at wide receiver. Though he’s listed as the top backup behind Calvin Austin III as WR2, the belief is Miller would be behind DK Metcalf, Austin, Roman Wilson, Robert Woods and Ben Skowronek at the position.
All Miller has done so far in training camp though is make plays. He’s been there, done that in the NFL and has a Super Bowl ring on his finger. During his time in Tampa Bay he became a trusted receiver for Hall of Fame quarterback Tom Brady, and he even made some plays last year in big spots for the Steelers.
He needs to make some plays on special teams, too, if he wants to truly push for a roster spot. Miller has had some strong moments in training camp, much like he did last summer. He has an opportunity in front of him to continue to make plays and force the Steelers’ hand.
3. OLB/DE DEMARVIN LEAL
Another year, another big opportunity for DeMarvin Leal. He’s added weight this offseason and has been working at outside linebacker and defensive end in training camp, giving himself some position flexibility to potentially make the roster and carve out a role.
After missing most of last season with a neck injury, Leal returned this season to a crowded outside linebacker room and a defensive line room that added a number of bodies, too. But he’s had a nice camp so far. Steelers Depot’s Alex Kozora has noted that Leal has more of a pass-rush plan, and his added size is a problem for tight ends. That is why he might be a better fit at OLB.
Right now, he’s listed as the third LOLB behind T.J. Watt and rookie Jack Sawyer. Though there is an “or” between Sawyer and Leal, Sawyer is clearly ahead of him. The preseason will be a big opportunity for Leal to make some plays on defense and special teams in an effort to put himself in the conversation for the roster.
4. RB/WR/DO EVERYTHING MAX HURLEMAN
Already called the “camp darling” by longtime Steelers beat writer Mark Kaboly, undrafted free agent Max Hurleman has started to stack some good days and is generating quite a bit of buzz in Latrobe.
Though he was a cornerback coming out of Notre Dame, he had running back and wide receiver experience at Cornell before transferring to the Fighting Irish in 2024. He’s listed as a running back right now for the Steelers, but he’s doing a bit of everything, catching the ball out of the backfield, returning kicks and punts, working as a gunner on punts, and more.
He’s a Swiss Army knife, and it’s showing in training camp. He’s going to see a lot of playing time against the Jaguars and should have the opportunity to make plays and continue to generate buzz. If Hurleman shows it in a preseason game, it’s going to make it harder and harder to overlook him.
5. ILBs MARK ROBINSON/CARSON BRUENER
It’s been a very quiet training camp for rookie seventh-round linebacker Carson Bruener, and a headline-filled one for Mark Robinson. Bruener was expected to be a special teams piece right away and a potentially valuable backup linebacker, but he hasn’t made much noise in training camp.
As for Robinson, the veteran linebacker has been a force all training camp. He’s blown up plenty of plays, gotten his hands on the football a few times, and even experimented at fullback during a padded practice, tapping back into his college running back days.
Robinson is a good special teams player, one who coordinator Danny Smith relies on. But he’s entering Year 4, and the Steelers might be eyeing a way to get cheaper and have more long-term stability there, which made sense as to why Bruener was drafted. Right now, Robinson and Bruener are behind Cole Holcomb and Malik Harrison as the backup linebackers.
It’s possible the Steelers keep five inside linebackers, with that fifth one being a special teams pregular. Robinson has done it in the past, but he has to hold off Bruener. The rookie, on the other hand, needs to start making plays to show he’s worthy of a spot on the 53-man roster.
