Steelers Rumors: Tanner Muse could be cut from 53-man roster

Tanner Muse has earned rave reviews for his performance in training camp and in preseason action for the Pittsburgh Steelers. The 2020 third-round pick spent his first three years with Seattle, making the transition from safety to linebacker in 2022.

He appeared in 17 games last season (one start) and accumulated 16 tackles on 80 snaps. PFF's Zoltan Buday named Muse the Steelers' most impressive backup in their Week 2 win over Buffalo. He has spent the majority of his NFL career on special teams -- he played only seven percent of Seattle's defensive snaps last season -- but Muse could carve out a more robust role in Pittsburgh.

That is, assuming he makes the roster. The majority of fans have been operating with that assumption given his strong performance to date, but it's not etched in stone just yet. "Tanner Muse has probably been good enough to make the squad," writes Alan Saunders of SteelersNow, "but I can't see a situation where he's forced to play much."

Saunders projects Muse to miss the 53-man roster and begin next season on the Steelers' practice squad. He would still be a call away if the Steelers suffer injury woes in that scenario, but it's a jolt back to reality for those who get too carried away with preseason results. Sometimes, even the best performances can't overcome unfavorable circumstances.

The Steelers' linebacker corps may simply be too deep for Muse.

Steelers Rumors: Zach Gentry is a potential trade candidate

Zach Gentry has carved out a role with the Steelers over the last four years as a competent blocking tight end with modest success in the passing game. Last season, he posted 19 receptions (on 23 targets) for 132 yards. He has not reached the end zone in 40 NFL games.

Gentry ultimately appeared in all 17 games for the Steelers (including 13 starts), but his future is murkier than ever after the Steelers used a third-round pick on UGA tight end Darnell Washington. Washington is absolutely massive, all of 6-foot-7 and 270 pounds. He's a capable blocker in his own right, but he's also a more explosive playmaker due to his unique physicality in the open field.

With Washington earning first-team reps in camp, not to mention established vets like Pat Freiermuth and Connor Heyward taking priority, it's not difficult to see why Nick Farabaugh of SteelersNow pegs Gentry as a potential trade candidate.

"Pittsburgh will keep four tight ends as it currently stands, but Zach Gentry feels like the odd man in the room," writes Farabaugh. "At this point, he probably is one of the gameday inactives with Washington playing with the first-team a significant amount of snaps already."

The Steelers will probably begin the season with Gentry as a third or fourth-string tight end in a much smaller role than last season. Washington looks the part of a professional tight end after falling further than expected on draft night.

That said, keep your eye on a potential trade market for Gentry. Teams in need of a blocking tight end could dial up the Steelers.

Steelers Rumors: Kenny Pickett earns hyperbolic praise at QB

Kenny Pickett is coming off an impressive rookie campaign for the Steelers. He led the team to a 7-5 record under center, completing 63 percent of his 389 pass attempts for 2,404 yards, seven touchdowns, and nine interceptions.

He has only built on the hype with a strong training camp and preseason. Pickett looks fully ready to lead the next chapter of Steelers football in the wake of Big Ben's retirement. Mike Florio of ProFootballTalk, in a recent episode of NFL on NBC, waxed poetic about Pickett's ascent. Maybe a little too poetic.

"As soon as Roethlisberger ascended into football heaven after that Monday night against [the] Browns, they went straight to work on getting their replacement," said Florio. "They got him in Kenny Pickett. And they didn't get desperate, they didn't have to trade up for him. Everyone knew they were going to take Kenny Pickett and they sat there, and they waited for Kenny Pickett to be handed down to them by the football gods the same way the football gods accepted Ben Roethlisberger up into the pantheon of kind of all-time greats.

Hey, Kenny Pickett's awesome. He continues to operate with impressive poise and accuracy in the pocket. He's a genuine franchise building block, the kind a team dreams of with a late first-round pick. Pickett played his college ball right down the street at Pitt, received a little tough love from Roethlisberger, then took off running with the starting gig midseason.

It's hard not to get a little romantic about it.

Of course, we should probably give him a full second-season test run before we break out phrases like "handed to them by the football gods." Pickett tossed more picks than TDs last season. He was far from flawless and the preseason can only provide us with so much insight on a player's ability.

There's every reason to believe Pickett is the real deal. If you're in the Mike Florio camp, however, it sounds like he's already well on his way to the Hall of Fame.