Steelers surprise roster cuts
Steelers surprise roster cuts
The Steelers will face tough decisions after the final preseason game, and some veterans are on the roster bubble. While all or most may have the inside track to a roster spot, I believe four could be surprise cuts.
Even with the new coaching staff, my focus is on veteran players with prior experience with the team. I am also not including any Steelers veterans who would be unsurprising cuts, like Malik Harrison. Also excluded are young players like Will Howard, even if technically a veteran due to having an accrued season. But depending on how Thursday goes, any of these four players could be on the receiving end of bad news.
Broderick Jones: You don’t move away from offensive line depth lightly, but you still need to carry players who make the team better. Broderick Jones is on the borderline, especially since the Steelers have a deep roster that may need to accommodate heavier numbers at other positions. It’s also possible they prefer to carry Ryan McCollum as the backup center.
They won’t save any cap space since his contract is guaranteed, but trading him would be one option. In that case, of course, the Steelers wouldn’t technically be cutting the veteran offensive tackle. But it is still within the spirit of the premise, should events fall that way.
Cole Holcomb: A recent name we’ve been hearing as a potential surprise roster cut is Holcomb. With the return of Elandon Roberts, he may bump down a peg on defensive priority. In that case, Malik Harrison would have the edge as a special teams contributor. They wouldn’t save much by cutting him, though, so it would be a performance-based decision.
Elandon Roberts: Don’t think that Roberts is safe, either. Even if he has the edge over Harrison—or Holcomb—the Steelers may have roster needs elsewhere that result in their carrying only four inside linebackers, so he could still be a surprise cut. At least I think most, at this point, would consider it a surprise. He only signed a couple weeks ago, but we are familiar with his body of work.
Brandin Echols: Now this is a name that I haven’t really seen raised, but I think the Steelers really could make Echols a surprise roster cut in favor of a younger player. For one thing, he has missed time due to injury. But if somebody like Doneiko Slaughter shows capable and also contributes on special teams, it doesn’t sound so far-fetched.
The Steelers may also prefer to keep both Rayshawn Jenkins and Robert Spears-Jennings at safety rather than Echols. They have played well in the preseason, and while neither player being cut would be a surprise for the Steelers, it would be a disappointment. The fact is, they are deeper at cornerback than at safety, and their safeties have worse injury histories. If he doesn’t sign elsewhere, they could keep him on the practice squad.