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The Pittsburgh Steelers have finalized their 53-man roster for 2021. Tough calls were made to get to this point. On defense, 14 players were cut, and on offense, that number was 19.
Most notably, a couple of rookies who had a real chance to make the team were casualties. Many of these players will resurface on the Steelers' practice squad. But for some of them, it's the end of the road. Here are the five biggest surprises on the Steelers' initial 53-man roster.
Pittsburgh Steelers biggest surprises from 53-man roster cuts
#1 - Quincy Roche not making the roster
Quincy Roche was the sixth-round pick of the Steelers in 2021. Roche arrived with more fanfare than most sixth-round picks, thanks to his success in college. He had 30.5 sacks and 54 tackles for a loss in college.
Roche has great speed for an edge rusher. He ran a faster 40-yard dash than current Steelers Alex Highsmith and T.J. Watt. But in the preseason, Roche had only five tackles and one and a half sacks.
Undrafted linebacker Jamir Jones began earning reps over him in practice and made the final roster over Roche. Roche wasted no time in being claimed on waivers by the New York Giants.
#2 - Cutting Matthew Sexton
Matthew Sexton may not have offered much as a wide receiver, but he was a bright spot in the punt-return game. Sexton averaged 17.2 yards per punt return in the preseason, albeit with a small sample size of only five returns.
Mike Tomlin, though, comes from a special teams background. He values it as much as any coach. Sexton felt like he had a good shot, with his 4.3 speed being his calling card. He may join the practice squad this year as Ray-Ray McCloud will return on special teams.
#3 - B.J. Finney not making it
The Steelers' offensive line has had a lot of light shined on it this preseason. What was supposed to be the worst unit in the league far exceeded expectations. Dan Moore Jr., Joe Haeg and J.C. Hassenauer all proved their worth in the preseason. But, surprisingly, they couldn't make room for B.J. Finney.
Finney was with the Steelers from 2015 through 2019. He started 13 games in that time and held his own. He's versatile enough to play in either guard position as well as center. Haeg and Moore are better suited for tackles than guards. This leaves Hassenauer as the lone backup who could play guard if needed.
#4 - Only keeping four cornerbacks
The big story of the preseason has been who the Steelers' nickel cornerback will be. Antoine Brooks Jr. looked set to be the man early in camp before injuries put him on IR. That left Shaker Brown, Lafayette Pitts and Arthur Maulet as the next men up.
In the end, none of them made the Steelers' final 53. James Pierre and Justin Layne are the options on paper, but both are better suited to play outside cornerbacks. The Steelers will likely pursue another option before Week 1.
#5 - Picking Pressley Harvin III over Jordan Berry
Jordan Berry has been a Steelers punter since 2015. He's never had one of the more powerful legs in the league. Sometimes, his placement left a lot to be desired, but the Steelers were loyal to him, especially in his early career when he struggled.
Pressley Harvin III was the seventh-round pick of the Steelers this year. He averaged an astounding 48 yards per punt in his senior year of college. He and Berry alternated games punting in the preseason to give each player a fair shot.
In the end, Tomlin elected to go with the young guy with a booming leg. He nailed the Cowboys deep into their own territory multiple times in the Hall of Fame Game. Every little thing matters in the NFL if you want to win, including having a reliable punter.
