Surviving roster cuts just 1st step for Steelers players who occupied the bubble

A day after the Pittsburgh Steelers unveiled their initial 53-man roster, players on the proverbial bubble expressed emotions that varied about as much as their skill sets.

For seventh-round draft pick Carson Bruener, it was a sigh of relief and an affirmation that his special teams work — and not nepotism — was a factor in his earning one of the final roster spots.

For wide receiver Scotty Miller, it was a continuation of the work ethic and productivity he showed since re-signing with the organization in March.

And for quarterback Skylar Thompson, it was a chance to extend a working relationship that began in January, one he didn’t want to see discontinued.

Thompson said he didn’t sweat out final roster cuts Tuesday when the Steelers kept all four quarterbacks on the 53-man roster.

“Honestly, it was not what a lot of people would have imagined,” Thompson said. “I really was not sitting there looking at my phone and worrying about what was going to happen. I was very confident about the work I put in this preseason and what I put on tape. I was confident that whether it was here or somewhere else, it was going to be the best move for me.

“It set me free, but I was really hoping it would be here.”

Thompson did well enough in the preseason — he averaged 8.9 yards per attempt, had almost 500 yards passing and threw four touchdown passes — that he will enter the season as the No. 3 quarterback behind starter Aaron Rodgers and backup Mason Rudolph.

It was a spot that was targeted for Will Howard until the rookie sixth-rounder broke a finger on his throwing hand.

“A guy in my shoes, you have to make the most of your opportunities,” said Thompson, a former seventh-round pick of the Miami Dolphins. “My mind was on the right things. Whenever the opportunity presented itself, I felt free, I felt ready and I was able to play with confidence.”

Miller offered a similar sentiment after earning one of the five wide receiver spots on the roster. He entered training camp as hardly a sure thing to make the roster, but he led the Steelers with nine catches for 167 yards, averaging 18.9 yards per reception.

“I tried to go out there and make plays every single day,” he said. “Throughout OTAs, minicamp, training camp and during the preseason, there are a lot of different stages to it. I tried to be consistent every day.”

Miller made the Steelers’ initial 53-man roster in 2024 after he followed offensive coordinator Arthur Smith from Atlanta to Pittsburgh. He had just five catches in 13 games while playing 25% of the offensive snaps. At 28 and in his seventh NFL season, Miller appears set to take on a bigger role this year with the Steelers, although he hesitated to make any predictions.

“You’re happy you made it and get the chance to play on Sundays,” he said, “but there is definitely no time to relax. There are people fighting for your job, and you have to produce on Sundays.”

If he makes the active roster on gamedays, Bruener will play on Sundays for the first time in his career. Based on a strong preseason, he earned a spot on the 53-man roster as the fifth inside linebacker, unseating three-year veteran Mark Robinson for the final spot.

Bruener led the Steelers with five special teams tackles in the preseason and tied for the team lead with 10 overall. His play helped erase any thought that he made the roster because of his bloodlines. His father is former Steelers tight end Mark Bruener, who works as a scout for the organization.

“My last name and coming in here with that pressure, I did the same thing at (Washington),” Bruener said of his college experience. “I came in after my dad, took that pressure and ran with it.”

Bruener also realized the need to continue working to keep his roster spot. He wants to play well enough on special teams so he can earn a helmet on Sundays.

“I can’t get complacent and happy and start celebrating too much,” he said. “As soon as you do that, you can have your job taken away from you.”