The Pittsburgh Steelers 53-man roster is now complete. Of course, they can make updates through waivers and can add on any players who have recently been cut. They also currently hold 53 players, with Le’Veon Bell yet to sign his franchise tag. Still, they made a ton of cuts and showed a lot of their hand over the past three or four days. What were the big surprises and what do they mean? Here is a position by position breakdown.
Pittsburgh Steelers 53-Man Roster Reactions
Quarterback
No surprises here. Landry Jones came in as the backup and he is still the backup. Josh Dobbs comes in at number three.
Running Back
Early into camp Fitzgerald Toussaint and Knile Davis were both ahead of Terrell Watson. Watson won the job, beating the two out. It was an easy call having watched the three in the preseason, with Watson the only one who ran inspired.
Wide Receiver
The big news came when the team traded Sammie Coates. It opened the door for Justin Hunter to make the team. Hunter and Coates were neck and neck. However, Coates drew trade value with another year of team control while the journeyman in Hunter had no trade value. It made for an easy decision for the Steelers.
Tight End
Given that David Johnson could play multiple offensive spots and on special teams it was expected he would keep his roster spot. However, Johnson has no ceiling whatsoever. That is where Xavier Grimble, a player with more upside and less versatility makes the roster over him.
Offensive line
The only surprise is the team holding onto Matt Feiler. Feiler outplayed Jerald Hawkins this preseason and can play guard and tackle. Given the resources invested in Hawkins and the play of Feiler, it may not be the biggest surprise that they held onto both players.
Defensive Line
The huge shock of the roster is Dan McCullers getting one more year. He ran third team nose tackle all summer, but by the time of cuts, he made it as the backup. The Steelers are likely going to scan the waiver wire long and hard to look to replace him over the next 48 hours.
Linebacker
Steven Johnson likely had a job going into camp. However, a hamstring injury, followed by the outstanding play by L.J. Fort made him extremely expendable.
Cornerback
With the acquisition of Joe Haden, a trade of Ross Cockrell was very much on the table. The Cockrell trade may have been equally surprising as Brian Allen making the roster. Many saw Allen as a practice squad candidate this year, but the Steelers were pleased enough with his progression to keep him around.
Safety
The four safeties who were supposed to end up on the 53-man roster made the cut. Watch for Jacob Hagen to make the practice squad.
Specialists
Colin Holba was beaten out by Kameron Cannaday for the long snapper spot. Given the sixth round pick invested in Holba, this is not just surprising but extremely disappointing. This sixth round pick will go down as one of the most wasted picks in recent history. Yes, a sixth round pick is a shot in the dark, but higher upside players who made rosters went after Holba. The Steelers had a lottery ticket and set it on fire rather than seeing if they could win anything.
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