In the blink of an eye, the Pittsburgh Steelers‘ 2025 preseason is over. Mike Tomlin’s crew made plenty of statements with its play over a three-week span, and now the franchise’s real work begins in the coming days. They’ve already got a head start.
Tuesday, August 26 at 4:00 p.m. ET is the deadline for all 32 clubs to have their rosters trimmed to 53. That means plenty of players will soon hit either the waiver wire or the open market. Pittsburgh has a multitude of notable names that could miss the initial roster. One of them is an aging player whose best days seem to be behind him.
Mike DeFabo’s updated 53-man roster projection for The Athletic makes the outlook on wide receiver Robert Woods quite clear. The veteran pass catcher didn’t make the cut.
DeFabo: Robert Woods ‘Faded’ During Steelers’ Preseason Slate
DeFabo opted for five wideouts making the roster: DK Metcalf, Calvin Austin III, Roman Wilson, Ben Skowronek and Scotty Miller. Woods is on the outside looking in, grouped alongside Brandon Johnson, Ke’Shawn Williams, Lance McCutcheon and others.
The month of August saw folks like Miller rise to the occasion, whereas Woods blended into the background.
“Miller has played his way onto the roster during the preseason, while Woods has faded,” DeFabo wrote. “That continued on Thursday. Miller snagged three passes for 82 yards, including a 53-yard strike from Thompson. Meanwhile, Woods was penalized for holding and did not record a catch. It’s possible the Steelers look for an upgrade from another roster around cut-down day to add to this group.”
To say it was a letdown of a preseason for Woods would somehow still be an understatement. He mustered all of 1 catch for 4 yards in three games, logging a single target overall. It wasn’t for a lack of opportunity, either. Woods played 24 snaps against the Jacksonville Jaguars, 24 against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers and 21 on Thursday versus the Carolina Panthers. That’s 69 snaps to work with. For reference, his single-game high from the 2024-25 regular season was 54.
Now 33 years old, it appears that Woods’ mix of knee, groin, hip and foot injuries may have caught up to him. Cutting him would save the Steelers $1.25 million against the cap while incurring just $745,000 in dead money, according to Over The Cap.
If DeFabo’s prediction comes true, Woods will be searching for his fourth team in five years.
Breaking Down Pittsburgh’s Wide Receiver Room With Week 1 on Horizon
Should this be the end of the line for Woods, the Steelers have an intriguing assortment of other options to choose from. Metcalf is the headliner, as evidenced by the club trading for and extending him this offseason. Coming off a sub-1,000-yard season, though, the jury is out on whether the 27-year-old is still a top-flight No. 1 option for an offense.
The two young receivers below Metcalf on the pecking order are faced with high expectations. Austin, specifically, is coming off a strong sophomore campaign. Hauling in 36 passes for 548 yards and 4 touchdowns, he emerged as a nice complementary piece. Unfortunately, he’s been sidelined with an abdominal injury in August. Wilson, on the other hand, is essentially redoing his rookie year. Tomlin and quarterback Aaron Rodgers are big believers in his upside, though.
Skowronek is a special teams option who also boasts some versatility on offense. He can line up in a couple of wide receiver spots and also even fill in as a de facto fullback if needed. Miller, a speedy but small wideout, has been nails this preseason. Rodgers’ comments on him during the Steelers’ preseason finale all but sealed his roster spot.
From a sheer numbers standpoint, sure, there’s ample room for someone like Woods. At the end of the day, though, he’d be an end-of-depth-chart piece. DeFabo doesn’t seem to think the juice is worth the squeeze anymore, and he isn’t alone.
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