Steelers: 3 players who won’t be on the roster by September 1

Wait, is Jace Sternberger really on the Pittsburgh Steelers’ training camp roster?

What if I told you Jace Sternberger was on the Steelers’ training camp roster? Would you believe me? Well … he sure is, but he may not be part of the team for all that much longer. The former Texas A&M All-American is on his fourth NFL team in four years out of College Station. While he signed a futures/reserve contract with Pittsburgh back in January, his playing career is on the line.

Admittedly, it does not hurt the Steelers to see what Sternberger has in training camp. It will bring competition to the tight end room, alright. However, Pittsburgh has an emerging star at tight end in second-year pro Pat Freiermuth. Zach Gentry, rookie Connor Heyward and Kevin Rader are all ahead of him on the tight end depth chart. Gentry and Heyward were also drafted by the Steelers.

Because Freiermuth is poised for a breakout season, Gentry is a proven commodity as a backup tight end at this point of his career and Heyward being the younger brother of Steelers’ star defensive lineman Cameron Heyward, Sternberger is almost certainly going to be squeezed out here. He has to earn his way onto the roster as a special teams player, but that is not very likely.

It would be more shocking than not if Sternberger did make the 53-man roster for the Steelers.