Editor’s note: From now until reporting day to training camp at Saint Vincent College, TribLive is running through the Pittsburgh Steelers’ 90-man roster, looking at each player and assessing his outlook for the 2026 season. The breakdown will run in alphabetical order with two players each day between June 13 and July 28. Contract data courtesy spotrac.com.

LB CARSON BRUENER

Experience/age: second season, 25

Contract status: $1.04 million cap hit in 2026; signed through 2028

The past: Bruener’s special teams skills earned him a spot on the All-Rookie Team selected by the Pro Football Writers Association. He made 19 tackles including seven solo stops last season while playing 92 snaps on kickoff coverage, 91 on kick return, 71 on punt coverage and 49 on punt return. His 303 special teams snaps ranked third most on the roster behind Jack Sawyer (340) and Peyton Wilson (331). Bruener was the second Steelers rookie to make the PFWA team since 2022, joining Joey Porter Jr.

Pro Football Focus analytics ranked Bruener and Chicago safety Elijah Hicks as the league’s top special teamers last season among players with at least 250 snaps. They tied with a 91.5 rating on PFF’s 100-point scale.

The Steelers selected Bruener in the seventh round of the 2025 draft with pick 226. He is the son of former Steelers tight end and current college scout Mark Bruener.

2026 outlook: Bruener’s clearest path to playing time remains on special teams. The 6-foot-1, 227-pounder saw only one defensive snap a year ago, stepping in at inside linebacker for a play in a Week 2 loss to the Seahawks, according to PFF statistics. He is likely to remain a core special teamer under new coordinator Danny Crossman.

The depth chart on defense looks much the same for Bruener. The team brought back the two starters at inside linebacker — Wilson and Patrick Queen — along with backups Malik Harrison and Cole Holcomb, who each played ahead of him last season. Harrison saw 319 snaps on defense, and Holcomb had 198.

Bruener was an accomplished college linebacker at Washington. He made 103 tackles and three interceptions as a senior captain for the Huskies, earning third-team All-Big Ten honors in 2024. He made 305 career tackles while playing 52 games (19 starts) over five seasons.