Ahead of their preseason game against the Houston Texans on Friday, Aug. 9, the Pittsburgh Steelers have put out their first unofficial depth chart of 2024.
Of course, it's always important to preface all this unofficial depth chart talk by saying it should never be taken as gospel and nothing is set in stone with many practices and three preseason games left to play.
However, that's not going to stop us from talking about it and pointing out some of the more notable things on it, like which players are or aren't listed in starting spots.
Without further ado, a look at the first unofficial depth chart, and our biggest takeaways from it.
Steelers have released their depth chart ahead of Friday's preseason opener.
— Alan Saunders (@ASaunders_PGH) August 6, 2024
Not a ton of surprises. Dan Moore Jr. at LT and Broderick Jones at RT. Beanie Bishop the starting NB. pic.twitter.com/eM7mAEBsx2
Steelers unofficial depth chart takeaways
Russell Wilson at QB1
Worth mentioning but not a surprise by any means. Head coach Mike Tomlin has made it clear that Wilson is the favorite to be the starter on multiple occasions, and his absence was not going to change that, no matter how much Justin Fields did.
That said, Wilson's return will allow us to compare the two quarterbacks on a daily basis at practice and during the preseason, which will allow for a proper evaluation ahead of 2024.
Starting O-line
The Steelers listed Dan Moore, Isaac Seumalo, Nate Herbig, James Daniels and Broderick Jones as the starters from left to right. The two rookies, Zach Frazier and Troy Fautanu, are the first backups listed at center and left tackle, respectively.
While not ideal because of Moore being at left tackle, it's not unexpected, either. The hope, of course, is that Moore is eventually booted in favor of a tackle pairing of Fautanu and Jones.
Fautanu saw all the first-team reps at right tackle on Tuesday, per Ray Fittipaldo of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, marking the first time that has happened in camp. Previously, Fautanu had only seen first-team reps in spurts.
Frazier being listed as a backup isn't surprising, either, with Herbig being the vet and having outperformed the rookie in camp. However, Frazier has been getting better of late and had his best day of camp on Tuesday, according to Steelers Depot's Alex Kozora.
Starting WRs
No real surprises here, either, but we'll note it since the wide receiver position has been a big topic of discussion this offseason.
Van Jefferson is listed at one of the boundary wide receiver spots, which makes sense considering he's been the best of the bunch at camp outside of George Pickens.
Calvin Austin takes the slot receiver spot that is in question, and he does so over rookie Roman Wilson, who is on the shelf currently with an ankle sprain. Wilson was playing well before his injury and is going to have a role early on, no matter where he lands on the depth chart.
Connor Heyward over Jack Colletto
Everybody loves a good fullback competition! Connor Heyward is currently listed over Jack Colletto at the position. We'll see if Colletto can make a move in the weeks ahead to grab himself a roster spot.
Beanie the starting slot CB
If you've been paying attention to training camp, you know that Beanie Bishop has been a revelation for the Steelers. The 2024 undrafted free agent has made several standout plays throughout and has earned his place on the depth chart. He is the only Steelers rookie to land in a starting spot.
