3 Winners, 3 Losers From Steelers Preseason Finale

The Pittsburgh Steelers closed out their preseason schedule with a loss to the Buffalo Bills.

The loss ended the Steelers' first preseason under new head coach Mike McCarthy on a sour note, especially after their disappointing performance against the New York Jets a week earlier.

With the preseason now wrapped up, the focus turns to the 53-man roster. The coaching staff will decide who makes the initial roster, and their decision might be helped by the performance of several key players. These six stood out as the biggest winners and losers in the preseason finale.

Winners

Eli Heidenreich - Local Kid Leaves Big Last Impression

The Mt. Lebanon High School graduate made the most out of his opportunity. He started the game with an impressive tackle on special teams, and he followed that up with a nice showing on offense. He capped things off with the first touchdown of his NFL career and left an impressive last impression on the coaching staff. He's still a strong bet to end up on the practice squad when the regular season begins, but the talent and upside is clear.

D'Shawn Jamison - Making a Case for 53-Man Roster

In his second season with the Steelers, D'Shawn Jamison continues to show promise. He's a capable special teams player and has enviable speed. It makes him a great backup in the secondary, and that was on display once again against the Bills.

A pass breakup in the third quarter was the highlight of his game. Matching up against the speedy rookie, Skyler Bell, Jamison closed on Bell at the top of his route and was able to get a hand in to break up the reception.

Kaden Wetjen - Rookie Finally Shos Out

It's been a tough preseason for the fourth-round wide receiver, but that punt return in the second half was exactly what the Steelers drafted him to do. He made multiple defenders miss and utilized his speed to take it 45 yards into the end zone for the score. It was a noticeably cathartic moment for the rookie and the entire organization, and he now exits the preseason finale as the team's biggest winner of the game.