Steelers' Ramon Foster Detailed These Players Have To Fight To Get On Mike Tomlin's Radar Ahead Of Week 1

The Pittsburgh Steelers reported to training camp at St. Vincent College in Latrobe, PA at the end of July 2023 and have been busy prepping for the start of the regular season. Right now, each NFL team has approximately 90 players on the roster. After the final preseason game, they will have until August 29th to make final cuts so that each roster will reflect a 53-man squad.

This means there are 37 men currently living as a Steelers player that will not remain on the team (unless they make the practice squad). These are often the undrafted players or the players that are picked up in free agency for depth purposes. However, that's not always necessarily the case. Returning players can often land on a kind of bubble and get outperformed by a rookie or a free agent as well.

Since there are only a handful of players each offseason that feel pretty secure in their spot on the team, that means the rest of the men have to show up every day and fight for their lives. One of the ways a player can do that is during the preseason games. They want to get the coach's attention in the best possible way and show them that they have what it takes. 

The process of gaining attention is most often discussed in terms of rookies. But that is not necessarily reserved only for them, those bubble players also need to show Head Coach Mike Tomlin they have improved, or that they are better than someone who is catching his eye. 

Former Steelers OG Ramon Foster On Who Needs To Be On Mike Tomlin's Radar 

Ramon Foster now co-hosts a podcast called The Ramon Foster Show on DK Pittsburgh Sports with reporter Dejan Kovacevic. On a recent episode, Foster was asked about which players need to stay on Tomlin's radar during the preseason.  

Kovacevic took it a step further and asked Foster if he ever felt like that when he played, that he needed to be on Tomlin's good side or catch his attention. He said he definitely did, especially during his second season in Pittbsurgh. 

"Year two was the year Maurkice [Pouncey] came in, we had Kraig Urbik, Tony Hills, and Doug Legursky. Tony was a tackle moved to guard, Kraig was in the fold, Trai Essex, it was like a log jam. I remember I'm going all out, I'm about to go hit people after the play if I have to. I gotta go harder than everybody else. There was a fight to live in that year."

As for players that are currently on the Steelers roster and need to go in with that mentality Foster had in his second year, he said there are a few. Both Foster and Kovacevic agreed that there are both new players who made an initial impression, but need to refresh Tomlin's memory and returning players that don't want to be forgotten. 

"I would say Keeanu Benton who's been active early in camp. But there are names that have kinda got lost a little bit like Tre Norwood and Miles Killebrew. There's a lot [that] has to happen, like these names have to be fresh and in front of our eyes."

Keeanu Benton is a rookie nose tackle. He was drafted in the second round of the 2023 NFL Draft. He impressed Steelers personnel when they saw him working out as a student at the University of Wisconsin. The Steelers have not had a strong and consistent nose tackle and Benton has a great deal of potential. While he isn't really in danger of being cut, does need to stay on the radar to earn that starting spot. 

Tre Norwood is entering his third season in the NFL after being drafted by the Steelers in the seventh round in 2021. While Norwood hasn't been a consistent part of the defensive scheme, he works hard and has shown a desire to play. Unfortunately, Norwood was injured recently and may not play in the first preseason game, which will make his uphill battle even tougher. 

Also, a safety, Miles Killebrew, has been in the league longer than Norwood. He was drafted by the Detroit Lions in 2016 in the fourth round. Killebrew has not been able to earn himself a consistent starting gig on the defense, but has performed well on special teams. 

The players are in different places in their careers - with Benton reminding Tomlin of why he fell in love with him and Norwood and Killebrew trying to prove they still have something to offer. However, they are all just as important. For these players living on the bubble, one good play could be the difference between making that final roster, or being dumped with the other groups of 37 players that leave each NFL team after the third preseason game. 

How do you think these three will perform? Do you think Benton can earn a starting spot? Do you think either Killebrew or Norwood can crack the code and make it as a starter? Or even keep a roster spot? Click to comment below. 

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