Punter Cameron Johnston and defensive lineman Logan Lee are legitimate cut candidates after the Pittsburgh Steelers wrapped 2026 minicamp and OTAs – and the roster math makes both cases more urgent than the depth chart currently suggests.
The Steelers trim from 90 players to a 53-man roster before Week 1. Every snap in Latrobe this summer carries elimination stakes for bubble players – especially specialists and rotational linemen sitting behind proven contributors.
Cameron Johnston’s Injury Concern
Johnston signed a one-year deal with Pittsburgh in March 2026. That sounds like security. It isn’t. The Steelers immediately claimed rookie punter Aidan Laros off waivers from the Tampa Bay Buccaneers – a move that signals genuine competition, not just depth insurance.
Johnston is 34 years old and has appeared in only nine games since 2023. He suffered a season-ending knee injury with the Steelers in 2024 – the same team now evaluating whether he deserves a roster spot.
He then dealt with nagging ankle issues that limited him to three starts for the Buffalo Bills in 2025 before getting released, then catching on with the New York Giants for one appearance.
Laros brings a rugby background from Cape Town, South Africa – a distinct kicking style that produces legitimate leg strength. He’s cheap, young, and unencumbered by the injury history dragging Johnston‘s profile down. A 2026 offseason roster breakdown flagged punter as one of Pittsburgh‘s unresolved positional needs, which means the front office isn’t treating this as settled.
A 34-year-old specialist with two serious lower-body injuries in back-to-back seasons doesn’t carry much leverage in a camp competition.
Steelers’ Defensive Line Has No Patience for a Rebuild Project
Logan Lee missed his entire 2024 rookie season with a calf injury. In 2025, his return produced two tackles. That’s the complete production line from a player now entering his third year on the roster – still waiting for his breakout moment while the players around him accelerate.
The Steelers‘ Base 3-4 front is locked in. Seven-time Pro Bowler Cameron Heyward anchors it. Derrick Harmon – a 2025 first-round pick – posted three sacks in his rookie campaign and is trending upward fast.
Fourth-year nose tackle Keeanu Benton just finished his best professional season. Behind them, Sebastian Joseph-Day, Yahya Black, and Esezi Otomewo all expanded their roles in 2025.
That’s six linemen ahead of Lee on a depth chart that has zero reason to carry a developmental project. Minicamp coverage consistently highlighted Benton and edge rusher Nick Herbig as winners, further squeezing the available snaps for fringe front-seven players.
As the analyst covering this roster noted, the Steelers are approaching 2026 with a “win now” attitude – and that posture rarely coexists with patience for a player who’s delivered two tackles in two years.
Lee carries genuine athleticism and versatility. None of that matters if the players above him keep performing. The NFL replaces depth players fast when younger, cheaper options emerge – and Pittsburgh already has several of those at defensive line.
Fantasy Football and Betting Implications for Steelers Investors
Neither Johnston nor Lee carries direct fantasy value – punters don’t move the needle in redraft or DFS, and rotational defensive linemen rarely register in IDP unless they’re logging double-digit sacks. But these cuts ripple into the roster picture you’re betting against.
Directional call: If you’re betting Steelers team totals or defensive props early in 2026, monitor the Logan Lee decision as a signal for how aggressive new head coach Mike McCarthy and GM Omar Khan are being about roster churn.
A front office willing to cut a former draft pick with upside is also willing to make harder calls elsewhere – which can shift depth and snap distribution across the defense in ways that affect sack totals and defensive scoring props.
Honest flag: The Johnston situation is genuinely unsettled. The Steelers could keep two punters on the 53-man roster for insurance – especially given Johnston‘s injury history makes a mid-season failure a real possibility.
If that happens, Laros becomes a practice squad name rather than a cut, and Johnston survives in a backup role. Don’t assume the cut is automatic before preseason games clarify the competition.
Dynasty managers should note that Pittsburgh‘s offensive additions – Michael Pittman Jr. from Indianapolis and Rico Dowdle from Dallas – are the real targets in this offense. Tracking injury-adjacent roster moves is how you get ahead of the fantasy market before camp opens.
Training Camp in Latrobe Is Where Both Decisions Get Made
The next hard deadline is the final 53-man cutdown before Week 1. Training camp at Saint Vincent College and the four preseason games will generate the live reps that settle both competitions. Watch for Laros‘s hang time and directional consistency against Johnston‘s command in those preseason snaps – that’s the number that flips the punter decision.
For Lee, the question is simpler: can he force his way onto the field in a live game and show something the coaches haven’t seen yet? Two tackles in two years hasn’t moved the needle. Preseason is the last audition.
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