No starters played in the Steelers’ 25-19 loss to the Panthers on Thursday night. Like all final preseason games, it was fairly uneventful. A few players made final pushes for the 53-man roster, but an injury to rookie corner Justin Layne could have the biggest impact on how the roster is ultimately decided.
Layne, a third-round pick out of Michigan State, left the game near the end of the first half. Coach Mike Tomlin did not have an immediate update on his status.
If he is out for a significant amount of time, the Steelers could place him on IR/designated to return, which would keep him out for at least the first half of the season. Last year the Steelers placed Ola Adeniyi on IR/designated for return after he was injured in the final preseason game.
If that happens, it strengthens the case for receiver Johnny Holton, who like Layne, plays gunner on the punt unit. Adeniyi also could be placed on IR/designated for return. He had knee surgery two weeks ago and might not be ready for the start of the season. If that happens it could open up a spot for another linebacker.
The Steelers must cut their roster from 90 to 53 by 4 p.m. Saturday. Here is my final 53-man roster projection:
Quarterbacks (3) – Ben Roethlisberger, Mason Rudolph, Josh Dobbs
Breakdown – If Thursday night’s start against the Panthers was done to showcase Dobbs, it wasn’t a great success. He was 3 for 5 for 21 yards in a little more than a quarter’s work. Can the Steelers trade Dobbs for a draft pick? Or will they be content to keep him as the No. 3 behind Rudolph.
Running backs (4) – James Conner, Jaylen Samuels, Benny Snell, Roosevelt Nix.
Breakdown: Trey Edmunds has outperformed Snell this summer, but I can’t see the Steelers cutting a fourth-round pick. If they’re lucky, they can get him back on the practice squad. A wild card could be the Steelers keeping eight offensive linemen and Edmunds, but I’m not sure that will happen.
Receivers (6) – JuJu Smith-Schuster, Donte Moncrief, James Washington, Diontae Johnson, Ryan Switzer, Johnny Holton.
Breakdown: Holton is Darrius Heyward Bey’s replacement on special teams, but he continues to flash on offense. He caught three passes for 86 yards and a touchdown in the first half Thursday. He can be a gunner on special teams, which is an important role. Eli Rogers, who has been with the Steelers since 2015, is the surprise cut.
Offensive linemen (9) – Maurkice Pouncey, David DeCastro, Matt Feiler, Ramon Foster, Al Villanueva, B. J. Finney, Chukwuma Okorafor, Zach Banner, Fred Johnson.
Breakdown: I’m keeping Johnson as the ninth because he’s the only reserve that can play guard and tackle. They’ve had someone like him for the past several years. It was Matt Feiler last season. Before Feiler, it was Chris Hubbard. The versatility is valuable, especially if Finney has to play center for an extended period in the event of an injury to Pouncey.
Tight ends (3) – Vance McDonald, Xavier Grimble, Zach Gentry
Breakdown: Grimble did not play Thursday night due to an injury. In an interview before the game on KDKA-TV, GM Kevin Colbert was asked if his No. 2 tight end was on the roster. He responded that Grimble was “technically” the No. 2 tight end and that he’s interested to see if he can handle the role. Not sure how to interpret those comments, but here are Colbert’s options: 1.) waive Grimble and pick up a backup tight end from another team via trade or after final cut-downs; 2.) keep Grimble and hope he can handle the duties. That’s basically it. At this point, they won’t bring Grimble back as a No. 3 because they want to develop a younger player such as Gentry who can eventually grow into that role.
Defensive linemen (6) – Stephon Tuitt, Cam Heyward, Javon Hargrave, Tyson Alualu, Daniel McCullers, Isaiah Buggs.
Breakdown: Buggs earns the final roster spot. Henry Mondeaux looks like a good candidate for the practice squad.
Linebackers (9) – T.J. Watt, Bud Dupree, Vince Williams, Devin Bush, Mark Barron, Tyler Matakevich, Ulysees Gilbert III, Ola Adeniyi, Anthony Chickillo.
Breakdown: Gilbert helped his case by blocking a field goal in the first quarter. He said after the first preseason game against the Buccaneers that he wanted to improve on special teams. He’s done that the past three weeks. Adeniyi remains a candidate to begin the year on IR/designated for return. In that scenario, the Steelers could open the season again with three outside linebackers, or the door could be opened for Tuzar Skipper or Sutton Smith to make it onto the team.
Defensive backs (10) – Joe Haden, Steven Nelson, Mike Hilton, Cameron Sutton, Artie Burns, Justin Layne, Sean Davis, Terrell Edmunds, Kameron Kelly, Jordan Dangerfield.
Breakdown: Layne’s injury will be monitored over the next few days. If he is placed on IR, it could open up a roster spot for another defensive back. That might be good news for second-year safety Marcus Allen given the Steelers don’t have an abundance of corners pushing for spots on the roster.
Specialists (3) – Chris Boswell, Ian Berryman, Kameron Canaday
Breakdown: There was little doubt Boswell had earned the right to keep his job, but there is none now after Matthew Wright missed a field goal and extra point against the Panthers. I’m still going with Berryman over Berry at punter. Berryman pinned the Panthers inside the 10 twice in the second half when he got an opportunity to punt.
Ray Fittipaldo: rfittipaldo@post-gazette.com and Twitter @rayfitt1.
First Published: August 30, 2019, 2:21 a.m.