The Pittsburgh Steelers will soon trim their roster down to 53 players. However, 31 other NFL teams will do so as well, and Pittsburgh needs help at several spots. That means the Steelers could have a whole new slate of players at their disposal to fill some of the holes on their roster.

Looking at the Steelers’ current roster, there are five positions they could sign an outside name to. First, with recent injuries, offensive tackle and center could be a spot to consider for outside reinforcement. Tackle seems less likely, as Spencer Anderson will likely take over OT4 duties with Dylan Cook out.

Ryan McCollum, however, has played at center, but since Nate Herbig’s injury, he has played nothing but well and would eventually be out for the season with a torn rotator cuff. He could slide to the practice squad, and Pittsburgh could look for reinforcements there.

But not only on the offensive line, wide receiver and cornerback also seem to be obvious additions to the Steelers’ roster. They need reinforcements at both positions and could use help on special teams. Pittsburgh’s gunner situation in punt coverage is a serious problem even if they keep Dez Fitzpatrick on the roster. Darius Rush has done little to secure the fourth outside cornerback spot and has disappointed on special teams.

Meanwhile, competition for slot cornerbacks leaves the fifth position wide open for someone from the outside. The Steelers worked with that a year ago, signing Desmond King after the Houston Texans released him. Even though it didn’t go according to plan, the Steelers have signed and signed players after a release day in both seasons of Omar Khan’s tenure as general manager.

The year before, they traded for more depth on the offensive line to bolster that group. They also traded Malik Reed to fill the outside linebacker lineup. That said, the Steelers have two or three clear holes that need to be improved. Experience shows that Khan and the Steelers front office will be working the phones and watching very closely to strike and make some moves.