The Pittsburgh Steelers wasted no time in roster decisions on Friday after their preseason finale against the Dallas Cowboys. HC Mike McCarthy started trimming the roster, releasing 11 players in the first wave of cuts, and many of them had been signed only earlier this week. It’s only the beginning; with the 53-man deadline looming this weekend, Pittsburgh still has plenty more decisions to make before its regular-season roster takes final shape.

“#Steelers have released 11 players. They have until Sunday at 6 PM to reach the limit of 53,” Bob Pompeani posted on X.

Those 11 players include TE Jaheim Bell, OL Greg Crippen, DB Jaylon Guilbeau, DB Jack Henderson, DB Brandon Hill, WR Jakobie Keeney-James, DB Tamon Lynum, DB Daryl Porter, WR Cornell Powell, RB Alex Tecza, and WR Isaiah Winstead.

A lot of these guys were relatively recent additions. Crippen came in as an undrafted free agent out of Michigan this season, while Tecza and Guilbeau had barely unpacked, having signed just days earlier on Monday. An even more short-lived addition was Hill, who arrived on Tuesday.

Bell, heading into his third pro season after New England drafted him in round seven back in 2024, also spent time with the Eagles before landing in Pittsburgh.

Keeney-James arrived in early August after a stint with the Packers, and both Powell and Winstead signed on around mid-August.

Henderson’s path was a bit more winding; he first joined Pittsburgh’s practice squad last October, bounced to Miami late in the season, then came back on a deal over the winter. Rounding things out, Lynum signed as an undrafted free agent back in May, and Porter joined in early June.

On Friday evening, the Steelers said goodbye to these 11 players, trimming things down from 91 to 80. That still leaves 27 more roster spots to sort out before Sunday’s 6 p.m. deadline, when every NFL team has to settle on its final 53.

Thursday night’s preseason finale against Buffalo gave the coaching staff a real look at how the young guys handle pressure, and it sounds like the results left a good impression. Head coach Mike McCarthy didn’t hold back his thoughts afterward.

“These guys had to play a lot of football tonight,” McCarthy said. “And a couple of guys were really stressed between special teams and offense and defense. So, as a whole, I feel really good about our body of work that we were able to accomplish, not just the quarterbacks.”

He also pointed to what comes next.

“It gives us a chance to set a plan as we go into these next 72 hours and get the roster in the best position we possibly can, but then move on and get ready for Atlanta,” McCarthy added.

That Atlanta comment matters. The Steelers open their season against the Falcons in Week 1, and this roster will be notably veteran-heavy by the time it’s finalized.

Beyond the final roster decisions, there’s still a bigger question looming over the quarterback room: Will the Steelers actually carry four on the active roster?

Mike McCarthy Answers the Four-QB Question Facing the Steelers

The quarterback question has been the storyline all camp, and it’s finally starting to take shape.

Aaron Rodgers was never really in doubt as the starter, and Mason Rudolph locked down the backup job early on. The real intrigue was always about what happens after that, and it sounds like McCarthy has made up his mind. He’s planning to keep four quarterbacks on the roster, which means both rookie Drew Allar and second-year passer Will Howard are sticking around too.

McCarthy sounded genuinely pleased with the group after Thursday’s game.

“I feel good about the quarterback room,” McCarthy said via Steelers.com. “I’ve been saying it for quite some time, and they’ve shown it on the field. We got two veterans that we can win with, and we got two young guys that we’re excited about the future.”

Of the two young arms, Will Howard would probably be considered the more expendable one if the Steelers ever needed to make a change there.

The preseason numbers clear up that picture.

Howard finished the preseason completing 26 of 39 passes for 229 yards, throwing two touchdowns against three interceptions, and taking five sacks for a 67.1 rating. Drew Allar, meanwhile, went 30 of 54 for 351 yards with two touchdowns and no interceptions, was sacked three times, and posted a stronger 87.8 rating.

Howard was actually more accurate than Allar overall, but he also got sacked more, threw more picks than touchdowns, and posted a lower passer rating, per CBS Sports.

Many teams don’t even carry three quarterbacks, let alone four. So if Pittsburgh sticks with this plan, another position group will take a hit when the final cuts come down. But a problem of plenty is always better than scarcity.