It’s a quick turnaround for the Steelers, who travel to Carolina on Thursday for their final preseason clash against the Panthers before opening day against the Jets. After a sloppy showing against the Buccaneers, the Black and Gold will be looking to iron out mistakes and build momentum heading into Week 1. Mike Tomlin revealed this morning that only four players are locked out of action: Aaron Rodgers, DK Metcalf, T.J. Watt, and Cameron Heyward, which means we could finally see some big-name debuts under the lights. With that in mind, let’s dive into this week’s quick checklist for the Steelers’ last tune-up before the regular season.

Troy Fautanu and Broderick Jones Continue To Build

The Steelers’ first-round tackles have progressed through camp and the two preseason games rather nicely. In their limited action, they have logged 20 pass-blocking reps without allowing a single pressure, and importantly, those reps have mostly come against starting-calibre edge rushers like Trevon Walker, Josh Hines-Allen and Yaya Diaby. The film matches the stat line too, with both showing consistency outside of a couple of borderline losses for Jones.

This Thursday, the goal is simple. Keep that clean sheet. If they can finish the preseason without conceding a pressure, the momentum will be massive heading into Week 1 against the Jets.

Troy Fautanu vs. Buccaneers DL (preseason Week 2)#Steelers #NFL #NFLPreseason pic.twitter.com/gRrhw5cKtB

— Tommy Jaggi (@TommyJaggi) August 18, 2025

Roman Wilson Flashes Once Again

Last season the 2024 third-round pick essentially redshirted, logging only a handful of snaps after suffering a training camp injury. That setback left him as something of a forgotten man in the Steelers’ wide receiver room, and when reports surfaced that he was slow to get going in his first full camp this summer, fans were understandably concerned. But the day he walked down the hill in Latrobe with Aaron Rodgers seemed to mark a turning point. From that point on Wilson began stacking strong practices, and he has carried that momentum into preseason action.

Through two games, he has been the brightest spark among the receivers, catching four passes on six targets for 96 yards and consistently threatening defenses with his speed. Even more encouraging is that most of this production has come while lining up out wide, despite many projecting him as a slot-only fit due to his size.

The goal for Thursday is simple: keep flashing that big-play ability early in the game and enter the regular season on a high. Wilson is a confidence-driven player; another good showing will do him the world of good heading to New Jersey.

Roman Wilson has 72 receiving yards in the first quarter 😮

Stream on @NFLPlus pic.twitter.com/XNVPUdu9eT

— NFL (@NFL) August 16, 2025

A clean Bill of Health

A quick one here: the hope is that the Steelers come out of Thursday’s game with a clean bill of health, especially for the high-profile names who could see some snaps. With the four players already confirmed to be out, I wouldn’t expect to see Jalen Ramsey or Darius Slay either. If they do get a series it would certainly add some excitement. I do anticipate younger vets like Joey Porter Jr., DeShon Elliott and Pat Freiermuth to get some time, but the priority is making sure none of the core players pick up knocks that could slow them heading into Week 1.

Not much more to say on this one, so let’s just hope we can come back over the weekend and confidently tick this box off.

Mike Tomlin said Aaron Rodgers will not play Thursday night in Carolina, along with TJ Watt, Cam Heyward and DK Metcalf. It is the first time in recent memory a healthy Steelers starting QB did not play a snap in a preseason game, dating to before Ben Roethlisberger.

— Gerry Dulac (@gerrydulac) August 19, 2025

Similar to last week, the checklist might look relatively vanilla compared to what you might expect, but that is only due to the nature of preseason games where teams are just trying to get a feel for contact and get out of the stadium with no casualties. Even so, I can’t wait for more Steelers football coming up just around the corner, and once we get through this matchup with the Panthers, it means we are one step closer to opening day.

As always, we want to hear your thoughts. Let me know how you feel about the checklist I have set out and if there are any other keys to the game you are looking out for.