Max Hurléman gave the Pittsburgh Steelers a strong finish in their preseason finale, catching 3 passes for 50 yards and helping set up a score. He tied for the team lead in receptions and led the club in receiving yards, a sharp turn for a rookie who had fizzled on the way to the finish line a year ago.
That is why his name is drawing attention now. The game put his receiving work on display right when roster decisions are being sorted out, and it was not a small sample of safe catches. Hurleman caught a third-down slant from Will Howard on 3rd and 10, then later hauled in a pass over the middle on 2nd and 15. In the second half, he caught a 15-yard out route from Drew Allar, made a cornerback miss, and added another 10 yards after the catch.
He also showed value away from the ball. Hurleman cracked down on a Bills safety to help Travis Homer gain 6 yards, and he helped set up Eli Heidenreich's first NFL touchdown. For a player trying to turn summer flashes into something more durable, that kind of work matters because it shows he can contribute in more than one phase.
Even so, the clean performance does not erase the roster math. The push for the 53-man roster is still complicated by Kaden Wetjen's punt return touchdown, and Hurleman is still being described as a lock for the practice squad. The lingering criticism is also specific: he needs to work on leaving his feet on catches, and he may have missed a run block later in the game. Those are the kinds of details that can separate a promising August from a spot on the active roster.
So the most likely path is still the one that leaves him waiting, even after a night that looked like a breakthrough. Hurleman made the kind of case that keeps him in the conversation, but the next step is the Steelers’ final roster cut, and that is where a strong preseason can still stop short of a debut.
