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.
C GREG CRIPPEN
Experience/age: Rookie, 24
Contract status: $885,000 cap hit if he makes the team in 2026, signed through 2028
The past: Crippen spent five seasons at Michigan, including as a reserve on the 2023 national championship team. He became a starter the following season and would do so for 21 games for the Wolverines, including all of last season when he earned honorable mention all-Big Ten recognition from the conference media. A four-time Academic All-Big 10 selection, Crippen had one year of college eligibility remaining but elected to declare for the NFL draft after his team’s appearance in the Citrus Bowl.
Listed at 6-foot-4, 309 pounds, Crippen was not invited to the combine and was not drafted. At 24 years old, he was invited to the Steelers rookie minicamp as a tryout and showed enough the Steelers signed him.
2026 outlook: Crippen was highly-regraded enough as a prep player that he attended prestigious football school IMG Academy, and he was deemed a top-10 center nationally in his 2021 recruiting class. With that kind of pedigree, it’s unsurprising Crippen is worthy of an NFL look. His Pro Football Focus grades suggest he is better at pass blocking than in the run game.
Realistically, the 53-man roster is off the table for Crippen in 2026. But there is always a need for offensive linemen on the practice squad, especially at center. The Steelers have a history of developing undrafted practice-squad offensive linemen into starting-caliber players. With veterans Zach Frazier, Brock Hoffman and Ryan McCollum entrenched as center options atop the Steelers depth chart, Crippen will be fighting to make an impression to stick once the season begins.