The Pittsburgh Steelers’ 2025 offseason practices concluded in the middle of June and next up is the team’s annual training camp, which will get underway in the latter part of July at Saint Vincent College in Latrobe. Ahead of that, we will preview the team’s offseason roster three players at a time as part of a multi-post series. This Steelers roster preview, which includes outlooks for every player, will be done alphabetically by last name to make it easy to follow. This series figures to exceed 90 players this year as the team can carry 91 players during the offseason due to the allowance of one international player designation.
The first three players we will preview ahead of Steelers 2025 training camp are Calvin Anderson, Spencer Anderson, and Calvin Austin III.
T Calvin Anderson: Originally signed by the New England Patriots in 2019 as an undrafted free agent out of Texas, Anderson was signed to the Steelers’ 53-man roster last September, several weeks into the regular season. While Anderson was active for 10 regular-season games in 2024, he only saw action in four of those.
In total, Anderson logged 11 offensive snaps and one additional one on special teams during the 2024 regular season. He played 24 more offensive snaps in the team’s playoff game. Anderson did miss the final four regular-season games with a groin injury that landed him on the Reserve/Injured list.
Outlook: While Calvin Anderson saw minimal playing time in 2024, the Steelers seemingly saw enough to re-sign him to a two-year, $4 million contract this offseason. A $830,000 signing bonus was given to Anderson as part of that deal, the only fully guaranteed money in the contract.
As things stand ahead of training camp getting underway, Anderson seems poised to be the Steelers’ top swing tackle behind starters Broderick Jones and Troy Fautanu in 2025. He has played both tackle spots so far in the NFL with 14 regular-season starts over this first five professional seasons. The Steelers figure to carry at least nine offensive linemen on their 53-man roster to start the 2025 regular season, and if that is indeed ultimately the case, Calvin Anderson is likely to be one of those nine players.
G Spencer Anderson: Selected in the seventh round of the 2023 NFL Draft out of Maryland, where he played multiple positions along the offensive line, Spencer Anderson played quite extensively for the Steelers in 2024 after spending half of his rookie season on the team’s gameday inactive lists. In the 17 regular-season games Anderson dressed for in 2024 he logged 311 offensive snaps and 78 more on special teams. He started four regular-season games in 2024 as well as the team’s lone playoff game.
More than 200 of Anderson’s offensive snaps (212) during the 2024 regular season came at left guard. He did, however, play 77 regular-season snaps at right guard. He also played right guard in the Steelers’ lone playoff game. Additionally, Anderson played 11 offensive snaps in 2024 at right tackle. According to Pro Football Focus, Anderson allowed one sack and 11 total pressures in 2024.
Outlook: Spencer Anderson seems poised to be the Steelers’ top swing guard in 2025 and thus behind starters Isaac Seumalo and Mason McCormick. After all, Anderson has played both guard spots so far in his NFL career and his play at both positions has been at least average to good.
Anderson can also play right tackle in a pinch and center as well should an emergency strike, and that’s also a plus. Due to his experience and positional flexibility, the Steelers could do a lot worse when it comes to Spencer Anderson being one of their reserve offensive linemen in 2025. He would likely need to be beaten out by a rookie or first-year interior player to not make the 53-man roster come Week 1.
WR Calvin Austin III – The 2024 season was an overly impressive one for Austin. The team’s fourth-round selection in the 2022 NFL Draft out of Memphis registered 36 receptions for 548 yards and four touchdowns on 58 total targets during the regular season. Ten of those 36 receptions resulted in explosive-play gains of 20 yards or longer as well. Austin chipped in another reception for 25 yards in the Steelers’ lone playoff game last season. Austin was also the Steelers’ top punt returner in 2024 on his way to registering 289 yards and a touchdown on 28 total returns during the regular season.
All told, Austin logged 593 regular-season offensive snaps in 2024 with 68 more coming on special teams. Thirty-three more offensive snaps and three more on special teams came in the team’s lone playoff game. As far as Austin’s offensive alignment in 2024, he saw 357 snaps in the slot, according to Pro Football Focus, with 270 others coming from a wide-alignment position.
Outlook: As things stand now, Austin is likely slated to be the team’s No. 2 wide receiver for the 2025 season. That could obviously change should the Steelers add another more experienced wide receiver to their roster prior to Week 1. At the very least, Austin should see plenty of offensive snaps in 2025 and perhaps even more than he played in 2024. Austin could also see an increase in total targets and receptions in 2025, especially if he’s the No. 2 wide receiver. In addition to his offensive playing time in 2025, it’s reasonable to expect Austin to remain the team’s primary punt returner this season.
When the dust finally settles from the 2025 season, it’s reasonable to expect Austin to have had a career year. Even so, it’s hard to truly visualize him topping 55 receptions in total. Austin did make strides as a route runner and pass catcher in 2024. Even so, he is undersized, and he is more effective when allowed to catch the football in space as he’s not a huge tackle breaker overall. Where he can really help the offense in 2025 is in the explosive-play category, just like he did during his college career. It’s reasonable to expect Austin to register one explosive play per every four receptions in 2025. Even one every three receptions is plausible.
At the time of this post, the Steelers have not signed Austin to a contract extension. Should that remain the case, Austin will become an unrestricted free agent in March. That might be great timing for him, especially if it comes on the heels of a career statistical season.
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