Mike McCarthy Steelers quarterbacks omar khan roster
Mike McCarthy Steelers quarterbacks omar khan roster
For the first time in a long time, the Pittsburgh Steelers have more worthy players than available spots on the 53-man roster. It speaks to the depth Omar Khan and his personnel department have built in Pittsburgh, but roster math is unforgiving, and some deserving players will inevitably be left out.
Steelers.com’s Bob Labriola named the four positions primed to be the toughest cuts.
“I don’t know that there are any starting jobs available necessarily, but there are a lot of roster spots hanging in the balance,” Labriola said via 102.5 WDVE Tuesday evening. “Defensive line is gonna be a tough cut. I think offensive line is gonna be a tough cut. Cornerback, safety, a lot of these spots. You’re not necessarily looking at the top of the depth chart so much for who’s gonna look good in these preseason games, but the bottom of the depth chart. A lot of the special teams spots.”
Mike McCarthy has confirmed the difficulty of narrowing down a very deep offensive and defensive line group. He called the defensive line group the deepest he’s ever coached in nearly two decades. And he made the case for there being 10 offensive linemen worthy of a roster spot. Most teams usually keep eight or nine and stash others on the practice squad for game-day elevations to ensure they can dress eight on game day. Keeping 10 would come at the expense of another position group.
With all the chatter of potentially keeping four quarterbacks, 10 offensive linemen becomes nearly impossible, at least without sacrificing one or two valuable spots on the defensive side of the ball. It also creates an environment where special teams play is at even more of a premium, pushing players like Kaleb Johnson off the roster — who Pittsburgh may otherwise want to keep.
The secondary is experiencing a similar squeeze. There are six cornerbacks, including Jalen Ramsey, who are locks to make the roster. Will Pittsburgh be comfortable with just three safeties? After Jaquan Brisker and DeShon Elliott, that would leave room for one of either Robert Spears-Jennings, Sebastian Castro, or Rayshawn Jenkins. And Pittsburgh may still go waiver-wire diving for a free safety around cutdown day.
And Labriola didn’t mention the inside linebacker position, which recently grew deeper with the addition of Elandon Roberts. Where are they creating room for him? Even if he edges Malik Harrison off the roster, does Pittsburgh have room for five off-ball linebackers this year?
I understand the merit of keeping four quarterbacks, but this is arguably the worst year to do it given the depth across the rest of the roster. And even if a player is eventually stashed on IR, tough cuts still have to be made before the team can make that move after roster cutdowns.
These things have a way of working themselves out throughout the preseason as standout performances and injuries provide clarity. But as of right now, Pittsburgh is staring down a roster crunch that will force the team to part ways with players it would much rather keep.