The 4 Recently Released Steelers Who Could Absolutely Replace 1 Of The 2 Punters On The 53-Man Roster

The Pittsburgh Steelers announced the team's initial 53-man roster for 2023 on Tuesday. While the list won't be the same for long, it is a starting point for the season and sends a message regarding which players the team felt were most deserving of good news on cutdown day. There were certainly some interesting decisions, but there wasn't one more interesting than the organization deciding to keep two punters on the original grouping. Both Pressley Harvin III and Braden Mann made the initial cut, but no one should expect the franchise to hold on to both players for more than a couple of days.

Steelers Still Have Big Decisions To Make Early In 2023

General Manager, Omar Khan has been fantastic throughout the 2023 offseason. There are only two options when it comes to the punters. He is either going to trade one of them or there is a significant position battle that is still brewing and the team is not ready to make a decision. Regardless, both won't be on the 53-man roster during the 2023 season and one could be traded very soon.

Two punters aren't going to be kept which means there will be one spot left on the 53-man roster. The Steelers love to bring back guys they are familiar with and this may be no different. Several players who could have been kept in the original cutdown were not included and could absolutely find themselves back on game days. Below are the most likely.

1.) Ryan McCollum, IOL

Ryan McCollum spent time on the Steelers practice squad in 2022 and saw action at center in the 2023 preseason. He is a definitive practice squad candidate, but after Kendrick Green was traded to the Houston Texans, Pittsburgh's best option at backup center is Nate Herbig. McCollum is an under-the-radar name who the Steelers may have believed wouldn't latch on to another team. Backup center is a concern and if an external option isn't on the table, McCollum might be the plan.

2.) Zach Gentry, TE

Gentry was one of the more surprising cuts on Tuesday, but the Steelers tight end room is packed with Pat Freiermuth, Darnell Washington and Connor Heyward. Gentry has played in Pittsburgh since being drafted in 2019 and while expanded roles may be asked of Washington and Heyward, Gentry could certainly be back if the staff believes he is an effective blocker. 

3.) Breiden Fehoko, DL

Breiden Fehoko was signed by the Steelers in April of 2023. His stint in Pittsburgh, as of now, didn't last long. He was part of the roster cuts on Tuesday. Pittsburgh only kept seven defensive linemen and that is definitely a number that could change. That number could easily turn to eight after one of the punters is looking for a new job.

4.) Tanner Muse, ILB

Tanner Muse was expected to be a special teams force for Pittsburgh. Instead, he was let go as part of constant roster reconstruction in the final major cuts before the 2023 season. The Steelers elected to keep Cole Holcomb, Kwon Alexander, Elandon Roberts and Mark Robinson at the inside linebacker position, but Muse has the most special teams prowess. It wouldn't be a bad idea to bring him back to help Danny Smith's unit.

There is always the possibly that the Steelers love someone on the waiver wire and release one of the punters when they win a claim, but it makes little sense to keep a second punter and not keep someone like McCollum, Gentry, Fehoko or Muse instead. This is a different era of Steelers football and Khan has made that abundantly clear. It will be interesting to see what the team decides to do with Harvin and Mann.

What do you think of the Steelers' initial 53-man roster? Please let us know in the comments below!

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