Examining the Steelers' initial 53 man roster

Examining the Steelers' initial 53 man roster (Read More)

The Pittsburgh Steelers have announced their initial 53 man roster today following the release/waiving of 20 players and the announcement that rookie 3rd round selection Sean Spence would be placed on injured reserve. First, let’s take a look at the list of cuts:

P Jeremy Kapinos
OL Trai Essex
DE Corbin Bryant
QB Jerrod Johnson
WR Tyler Beiler
WR Marquis Maze
WR Toney Clemons
WR David Gilreath
WR Derrick Williams
S Damon Cromartie-Smith
CB Terrence Frederick
CB Josh Victorian
RB DuJuan Harris
LB Brandon Hicks
LB Marshall McFadden
DE Jake Stoller
DE Ikponmwosa Igbinosun
OG Ryan Lee
OG/T Chris Scott
OG/C John Malecki

For those aware, these 21 moves cut the Steelers’ roster from 75 to 54. The 22nd spot is accounted for by the 4 week suspension that backup tight end Weslye Saunders is set to begin serving tomorrow. In addition, 1st round rookie guard David DeCastro, who suffered a significant knee injury, will be placed on the brand new 8 week injured reserve list on Tuesday at 4 PM, which will open a roster spot that one of the above listed cut players may fill.

Now, before taking a look at the final roster, let’s see what these cuts tell us about the Steelers of 2012 thus far. The release of the 5 wide receivers means that they plan to go with only 4 on the active roster this year. For comparison, they carried 6 last year. Likewise, they will only carry 4 cornerbacks, as opposed to the 6 of last year.

Undrafted rookie punter Drew Butler won the punting job by default, as Kapinos suffered a back injury in training camp. Also, defensive end Al Woods won the 4th DE spot on the roster. It is likely that Corbin Bryant’s practice squad eligibility played a key role in the decision.

The team elected to go with 7th round rookie lineman Kelvin Beachum over veteran jack of all trades Trai Essex. Both struggled mightily in the first two preseason games, but appeared to settle down in the final two. It is possible that Essex is the one to be re-signed after DeCastro is moved off the active roster.

Counting the fullback position, the Steelers decided to keep 6 running backs, including starter Rashard Mendenhall, who, despite dressing, did not play in last night’s preseason finale and is not expected to be ready to play for another couple weeks. Isaac Redman and Jonathan Dwyer are likely to share the bulk of the load in the meantime.

I liked Maze there at the end. He made some great catches in that last game.

He had one catch on a screen pass for one yard and one catch for 31 yards. I'm pretty sure those were his only catches. He definitely didn't do enough.

I wasn't impressed at all with Maze. As Doden's said ... he had one nice catch in the final game. If a fifth receiver would have made it, it would have been Gilreath.

The one guy I'm surprised about is Beachum. I'm not sure how he made it over Essex. At best, I think Beachum should have been on the practice squad.

Maze brings a lot to the table, including the return game. I don't think the decision to keep him was based on his catches only.

bayz101 wrote:

Maze brings a lot to the table, including the return game. I don't think the decision to keep him was based on his catches only.

They didn't keep Maze. He didn't even make the practice squad. They kept Wallace, Brown, Sanders, and Cotchery. Clemons and Gilreath are on the practice squad.

Wallace108 wrote:

bayz101 wrote:

Maze brings a lot to the table, including the return game. I don't think the decision to keep him was based on his catches only.

They didn't keep Maze. He didn't even make the practice squad. They kept Wallace, Brown, Sanders, and Cotchery. Clemons and Gilreath are on the practice squad.

And this is why you don't post with a fever..,

bayz101 wrote:

Wallace108 wrote:

bayz101 wrote:

Maze brings a lot to the table, including the return game. I don't think the decision to keep him was based on his catches only.

They didn't keep Maze. He didn't even make the practice squad. They kept Wallace, Brown, Sanders, and Cotchery. Clemons and Gilreath are on the practice squad.

And this is why you don't post with a fever..,

Get some rest, dude. I don't wanna have to put you on IR right before the season begins.

Regarding Beachum, I found that he played much better in the last two preseason games than in the first two. He had no penalties and he struggled a lot less physically. Perhaps he's beginning to get a handle on the angles game that DeCastro was initially struggling with. While I do not believe that he necessarily outplayed Essex, my belief is that he was cut with the intention to re-sign him after DeCastro is put on IR, and that they chose to use this option with Essex and not Beachum because Essex, as a veteran, would not be subject to the waiver system.

Dodens Grav wrote:

Regarding Beachum, I found that he played much better in the last two preseason games than in the first two. He had no penalties and he struggled a lot less physically. Perhaps he's beginning to get a handle on the angles game that DeCastro was initially struggling with. While I do not believe that he necessarily outplayed Essex, my belief is that he was cut with the intention to re-sign him after DeCastro is put on IR, and that they chose to use this option with Essex and not Beachum because Essex, as a veteran, would not be subject to the waiver system.

That sounds like a likely scenario. I think it's safe to say the Steelers know a bit more than I do in these matters. Hard to believe, I know.