Pittsburgh Steelers Depth Chart
- AFC North
- Stadium
- Acrisure Stadium
- Head Coach
- Mike Tomlin
- Offensive Coordinator
- Arthur Smith
- Defensive Coordinator
- Teryl Austin
- Special Teams Coach
- Danny Smith
- Defensive Scheme
- 3-4
Pittsburgh Steelers running back Najee Harris changed his diet this offseason in an effort to slim down. "He's motivated, to say the least," his offseason trainer Josh Scott said. It makes sense for Harris, who had his fifth-year option declined by the Steelers recently. "It's all fueling his fire to have an even better season than last year and prove a lot of people wrong," Scott said. The former first-rounder in 2021, who is listed at 242 pounds on the team's roster, looks closer to his listed college weight of 230. Harris has been eating a lot of fish and vegetables and has avoided processed foods. "He's looking really, really springy; really, really light off the ground; and more agile," Scott said. Harris averaged less than 4.0 yards per carry in his first two NFL seasons but has gone over 1,000 yards rushing in all three of his campaigns. He had a career-high eight rushing TDs in 2023, but his fantasy ceiling could be capped as an RB2 with Jaylen Warren commanding his share of backfield touches.
Pittsburgh Steelers six-time Pro Bowl defensive end Cameron Heyward hasn't attended the team's voluntary offseason workouts and doesn't plan to attend organized team activities as he seeks a contract extension, according to sources. Heyward is a long-time team captain who has never missed an offseason program. The 35-year-old former 31st overall pick by the Steelers in 2011 out of Ohio State is entering the final year of his four-year, $65 million deal. The 35-year-old has obviously been one of the faces of the franchises for a long time now, but he played in only 11 games due to a core injury in 2023 and finished with just 33 tackles (25 solo), two sacks, six tackles for loss and a pass defended. Contract issues aside, Heyward is expected to be a full-go for the start of training camp and the 2024 regular season. He has 80.5 career sacks and could be streamer in IDP leagues in good matchups if he's healthy in 2024.
The Pittsburgh Steelers signed free-agent cornerback Anthony Averett to an undisclosed one-year deal on Sunday, according to a source. The deal for Averett comes after he worked out at the team's rookie minicamp over the weekend on a tryout basis. The 29-year-old split time between the San Francisco 49ers and Detroit Lions last year but didn't play in any regular-season games. His last NFL action came in 2022 with the Las Vegas Raiders, when he recorded 13 tackles and a pass defended in seven games (six starts). He was originally a fourth-round pick by the Baltimore Ravens in 2018 out of Alabama. In his four seasons in Baltimore, he had 101 tackles, three interceptions and 22 passes defended. Averett will have plenty of competition at the cornerback position in training camp this summer as he tries to make the final roster.
Former Atlanta Falcons free-agent wide receiver Scotty Miller is reuniting with Pittsburgh Steelers offensive coordinator Arthur Smith on an undisclosed one-year deal on Wednesday, according to a source. Smith was the head coach in Atlanta to begin last season before getting fired. In 17 games with the Falcons last year, Miller caught 11 of his 16 targets for 161 yards and two touchdowns. While he will reunite with Smith, the 26-year-old pass-catcher will merely operate as receiving depth in Pittsburgh behind George Pickens, Van Jefferson, rookie Roman Wilson and Calvin Austin III. The 26-year-old speedster has a total of 85 catches on 144 targets for 1,085 receiving yards and six touchdowns in 67 games (eight starts) over his five seasons in the NFL. He was originally a sixth-round pick by the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in 2019 out of Bowling Green.
The Pittsburgh Steelers have officially declined the fifth-year option on quarterback Justin Fields. This is not a surprise, as the No. 11 overall pick in the 2021 NFL Draft has been disappointing to start his career and was recently dealt from the Chicago Bears to the Steelers for a conditional sixth-round pick. The expectation is that Russell Wilson will be the Week 1 start for Pittsburgh in 2024, but Fields could be waiting in the wings if he struggles like he did in Denver. It will be interesting to see how much of a chance Fields gets to show what he can do with a change of scenery. If he plays in at least a handful of games and exceeds expectations, he could improve his market value and hit free agency next offseason.