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By Michael Gallagher
Sports Content Coordinator
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Training camp is officially underway for several NFL teams while others will be easing into camp throughout the next week.
The Arizona Cardinals and Carolina Panthers kick off the 2026 preseason with their Hall of Fame Game clash on Thursday, Aug. 6 on NBC, and Week 1 of the preseason officially kicks off the following week on Aug. 13.
As we count down the days until the start of the NFL regular season — which kicks off with a Super Bowl LX rematch between the Seattle Seahawks and New England Patriots on “Sunday Night Football” on Sept. 9 — we continue to look at key offseason storylines for each of the league’s 32 teams.
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This week, we’re looking as the players most in danger of being cut during the preseason, and we’ve arrived at the Pittsburgh Steelers.
Travis Homer, RB
The Steelers spent $12.25 million this offseason to bring in Rico Dowdle after his 1,076-yard, six-touchdown season last year, and he should form a strong 1-2 punch with Jaylen Warren, who totaled 1,291 yards (958 rushing, 333 receiving) and eight total touchdowns in 2025.
That leaves five other running backs to compete for one, maybe two roster spots. Rookie Eli Heidenreich has been compared to Christian McCaffrey, and his dual-threat ability as a runner and receiver (plus a returner) makes him an intriguing wild card to keep an eye on.
Lew Nichols and Max Hurleman likely won’t make it beyond camp, making Travis Homer vs. Kaleb Johnson the battle to watch. My money is on Johnson, Pittsburgh’s third-round pick from a year ago.
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Malik Harrison, LB
Malik Harrison is a solid defender on run defense and he can be a great special teams contributor. The problem is the Steelers have a strong linebacker corps with
Patrick Queen, Payton Wilson, Alex Highsmith, Nick Herbig, Carson Bruener, Jamin Davis, Cole Holcomb, Julius Welschof, and Jacoby Windmon — though Highsmith and Herbig are more edge-rushers than typical middle-of-the-field linebackers.
With so much depth, the Steelers could opt to save the $4.75 million they’d spend on Harrison’s salary as opposed to keeping him around just to push the younger guys.
Robert Tonyan, TE
No one uses their tight ends more, or in as many creative ways than the Steelers. The problem for Robert Tonyan is that the team has so many talented TEs to compete with that there may not be room for him on the roster.
Pat Freiermuth, Darnell Washington, and Jaheim Bell should be the top three on the depth chart, meaning Tonyan will have to beat out at least one of them plus J.J. Galbreath and Lake McRee — an outcome I just don’t see happening.
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