The 53-man roster in the preseason is typically an ever-changing thing, an amoeba-like animal, morphing and adjusting to its environment. Injuries and what’s happening in the preseason games make all of the difference in the world, washing away the memories of good performances early in training camp.
The Steelers are now three games into their 2018 preseason. They’ve got just one final tuneup remaining, that coming Thursday night at Heinz Field against the Panthers. And, as has typically been the case, the starters won’t see much, if any, playing time. Mike Tomlin won’t want to risk a serious injury just over a week before the regular season begins.
We took a look at what the 53-man roster could look like a week from now when the Steelers trim their roster next Saturday following the second preseason game in Green Bay. We’ll do so again today after gaining some clarity following the team’s 16-6 win Saturday afternoon against the Titans.
• Quarterback (3): Ben Roethlisberger, Landry Jones, Mason Rudolph
Josh Dobbs didn’t play at all in preseason game No. 3 but will get an opportunity to start the finale against the Panthers. Perhaps the Steelers are hoping for an injury so they can slide Dobbs onto IR. Or maybe they’re of the belief he has a good game and they can flip him for a late draft pick. That’s unlikely.
Roethlisberger looked rusty early against the Titans but warmed up. Jones threw an interception, but that was as much the fault of Justin Hunter getting the ball taken away from him as anything.
• Running back (4): Le’Veon Bell, James Conner, Jaylen Samuels, Roosevelt Nix
Stevan Ridley falls off my original 53-man roster. He’s been nursing a leg injury for more than a week and has missed the past two preseason games. That won’t help his cause at all.
The Steelers featured Samuels, a rookie fifth-round draft pick, against the Titans and he responded with 11 carries for 41 yards and four receptions for another 36. He also had a TD called back on a holding penalty on Marcus Tucker.
But he put that TD catch and run on film.
”He’s growing like a lot of young guys should,” Tomlin said. “It’s been a hard fight. It’s been a tiresome fight at times for young players but I don’t want to see anyone let up as the road gets narrow. We need to have the type of guys that display the grit, that can lean in and fight to the finish. He’ll be given an opportunity to do that.”
That likely means Samuels gets an opportunity to see extensive playing time against Carolina.
“I’m not happy,” Samuels said. “I’m not satisfied. There’s still work to do.”
Fitzgerald Toussaint could make a push as a special teams-only player, but the Steelers released him last year at the start of the season. The thinking here is they do so again.
Wide receivers (6): Antonio Brown, JuJu Smith-Schuster, James Washington, Darrius Heyward-Bey, Justin Hunter, Marcus Tucker
Trey Griffey is pushing here, especially with Washington suffering an abdominal injury against the Titans. He’s viewed as a slot guy and with the situation with Eli Rogers, who is now suspended for the opener in addition to being injured, that could be big.
Tucker didn’t help his cause with a couple of penalties, but they were effort penalties, not silly things. Those can be cleaned up.
Hunter had a big touchdown catch running outside the numbers but coughed the ball up when he had an opportunity to make a play inside the numbers. That’s kind of his M.O. But Roethlisberger likes him.
• Tight end (3): Vance McDonald, Jesse James, Bucky Hodges
Xavier Grimble’s thumb injury is a big deal. He’s in a cast and probably opens the season on IR with a chance to return at midsession.
That opens the door for Hodges to get a spot. He’s more NFL ready than Pharoah McKever, though the Steelers also could look for outside help.
McDonald is still shooting to be ready for the opener. We’ll see if he returns to practice this week. James suffered a back contusion going up to make a high catch against the Titans but should be OK.
• Offensive line (8): Alejandro Villanueva, Marcus Gilbert, Ramon Foster, David DeCastro, Maurkice Pouncey, B.J. Finney, Matt Feiler, Chukes Okorafor
No changes here, though R.J. Prince showed well against the Titans at offensive tackle. Zach Banner also is an intriguing prospect, but he also has been cut by two other teams, so you can likely slide him onto the practice squad.
Okorafor was used in some six offensive linemen jumbo packages against the Titans. He’s not perfect, but he is getting better.
• Defensive line (6): Cameron Heyward, Stephon Tuitt, Javon Hargrave, Tyson Alualu, L.T. Walton, Daniel McCullers
No changes here. McCullers didn’t play against the Titans, but that’s because he’s been dealing with a minor injury.
The Steelers had another good day stopping the run. After allowing 2.7 yards per carry against the Packers, they gave up 2.1 against the Titans. It was even better against the Titans’ starters, who gained just 2.0 yards per carry on 12 attempts.
This group — Heyward and Tuitt in particular — could be a big reason why the defense is better than it was at the end of last season.
• Inside linebacker (5): Vince Williams, Jon Bostic, L.J. Fort, Matthew Thomas, Tyler Matakevich
I didn’t have Matakevich on my last roster, but with some concessions elsewhere, they can keep a special teams ace. It does appear they have come to the realization he can’t play in the base defense.
Thomas led the team with seven tackles and also had one on special teams against the Titans. He could be a situational guy when the season starts, but remember, T.J. Watt didn’t play in this game. Thomas was getting his playing time in place of Anthony Chickillo, who was replacing Watt.
It’s unlikely the Steelers take Watt off the field, but you never know, they did at times last season. It’s all about options. Fort and Thomas give you that in the passing game.
• Outside linebacker (4): Bud Dupree, T.J. Watt, Anthony Chickillo, Ola Adeniyi
I like Farrington Huguenin. He’s active and has looked good in the past two preseasons. But Adeniyi plays like his hair is on fire. Huguenin heads to the practice squad and Adeniyi to the active roster, though it wouldn’t surprise me if it was the other way around. It depends on who Danny Smith wants for special teams.
• Cornerbacks (6): Joe Haden, Artie Burns, Mike Hilton, Cameron Sutton, Coty Sensabaugh, Brian Allen
This is a pretty good overall group with solid depth. I can still see Sensabaugh drawing some interest from a team looking for cornerback help. Veteran corners with starting experience are a tradeable commodity.
Allen is turning into a solid special teams player and Sutton and Hilton both have added value by being able to play safety.
• Safety (5): Morgan Burnett, Sean Davis, Terrell Edmunds, Nat Berhe, Marcus Allen
Berhe is on this list after not being on my initial 53-man roster. He’s a special teams captain type.
Allen was pretty banged up throughout this process, but had the kind of game he needed against the Titans. The fourth game will be a big one for him. He has to show he can contribute on special teams.
• Specialists (3): Chris Boswell, Jordan Berry, Kameron Canaday
No surprises here at this point, though it seems to be more of an open competition after Berry struggled in Green Bay.
Matt Wile had a solid game against the Titans averaging 48.7 yards and netting 48.3 on three kicks, two of which were downed inside the 20. But Berry wasn’t bad, either, getting a kick downed at the 8 from the Tennessee 43 and then ripping off a 52-yarder from his own 23.
This could be one spot that is decided for sure in the game against the Panthers.
