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The three-way battle to win the Pittsburgh Steelers’ starting quarterback job figures to command the lion’s share of attention when Steelers training camp gets underway in earnest on July 26. At the same time, a handful of veteran players who were highly drafted — but haven’t met expectations — will be trying to hold onto their NFL jobs, and appear to be facing an uphill battle to do so.
That’s the sentiment expressed by Kristopher Knox in his recent Bleacher Report feature on Steelers players who need to impress in training camp to avoid being cut. Knox highlights a former Raiders 1st-round pick (safety Karl Joseph) and a pair of former 3rd-round picks, both of whom were drafted in 2019, one by the Steelers and the other by the Ravens.
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WR Miles Boykin, For One
The ex-Raven in question is Miles Boykin, who the Steelers claimed on waivers in April. At the time, Boykin seemed to have a pretty good chance of making Pittsburgh’s 53-man roster, despite being responsible for just 33 receptions and seven touchdown catches during his first three seasons in the league, per Pro Football Reference. Then the Steelers added a pair of wide receivers — George Pickens and “day 3 draft steal” Calvin Austin III — in the second and fourth rounds of the 2022 draft, respectively, and the wide receiver room suddenly got a lot more crowded.
With Diontae Johnson and Chase Claypool the presumptive starters and former All-Pro kick returner Gunner Olszewski also a near-lock to make the team, that leaves perhaps one wide receiver job open and more than a few contenders. That includes former Bears 2nd-round pick Anthony Miller, who played with new Steelers quarterback Mitch Trubisky in Chicago; plus Cody White, whose father recently joined the team’s personnel department.
Making Boykin’s odds longer still is that he is entering the final year of his rookie contract, which calls for him to be paid a salary of $2.54 million, per spotrac.com. If he doesn’t make the team, the only cost would be a modest dead money cap charge of $214,232. That said, it would be something of a surprise if Boykin — who recently admitted he used to “hate” Pittsburgh — survives the final round of roster cuts.
CB Justin Layne, For Another
Meanwhile, former Steelers 3rd-round pick Justin Layne is in a similarly precarious situation. In fact, the former Michigan State product has played just 145 snaps on defense during the 43 NFL games in which he has appeared, with the vast majority of those coming in 2020, according to Pro Football Reference. And while his 2022 salary is a relatively modest $965,000, per spotrac.com, his release would result in a dead money cap charge of just $230,545.
“Layne will have to show that he’s ready for a more prominent defensive role,” says Knox, otherwise the Steelers will move forward with depth pieces that could include Arthur Maulet, Tre Norwood and former undrafted free agents James Pierre and Linden Stephens.
Notably, Knox isn’t the only member of the media to question Layne’s chances of making the roster in 2022. Mark Kaboly of The Athletic calls this a “make-or-break season” for Layne; likewise, Brooke Pryor of ESPN recently identified Layne as a prime cut candidate.
Layne will also be facing competition from a pair of rookie undrafted free agents in Chris Steele (USC) and Carlins Platel (South Carolina), the latter of whom was inked after a rookie minicamp tryout.
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