The Steelers had to pare their roster down to 53 on Tuesday, and as always, the back end of the equation was fluid. General manager Kevin Colbert and coach Mike Tomlin have opted to keep Dwayne Haskins over Josh Dobbs at quarterback, as expected, but Dobbs is headed to injured reserve with a toe injury from Friday night’s loss to Carolina.
What wasn’t necessarily expected was the team keeping eight defensive linemen and six inside linebackers, suggesting they didn’t want to risk losing several of those depth pieces on waivers. On the line, all of Isaiah Buggs, Carlos Davis and Henry Mondeaux made the cut. At inside linebacker, Joe Schobert and Devin Bush and backups Robert Spillane, Ulysees Gilbert, Marcus Allen and Buddy Johnson all remain.
In the running backs room, Jaylen Samuels was the odd man out going into his fourth season. His pass-catching skills may have been less significant given rookie Najee Harris’ proficiency in that area. Both Kalen Ballage and Benny Snell, two between-the-tackle runners, join Harris and Anthony McFarland in that unit.
Among the cuts was one 2021 draft pick, outside linebacker Quincy Roche, a sixth-rounder out of Miami. But Roche had been surpassed on the depth chart by Notre Dame product Jamir Jones, who went undrafted in 2020 and was out of football last year before signing with the Steelers this spring. Jones also held off veteran Cassius Marsh, signed off the practice squad last December, who figured to nab a spot for his special teams play more than his pass-rushing.
“I’m not going to get into what’s tough and what’s not. … Understand that they all are tough, because we’ve been working with this group of men since the spring,” Tomlin said following Tuesday’s practice. “We respect their preparedness and what they put into it. It’s just something we need to be sensitive of, and we are.”
Steelers cut Jaylen Samuels, Trey Edmunds, Cody White, Rico Bussey, BJ Finney, Rashaad Coward, Chaz Green, John Leglue, Kevin Rader, Cassius Marsh, Quincy Roche, Jamar Watson, Mark Gilbert, Arthur Maulet and Donovan Stiner.
— Brian Batko (@BrianBatko) August 31, 2021
Jamir Jones, JC Hassenauer, SIX ILBs all make it.
The offensive line is thin after seeing Rashaad Coward and B.J. Finney both released. Coward and Finney had been operating as reserve guards behind Kevin Dotson and Trai Turner, but neither offered much flexibility at center, where J.C. Hassenauer keeps his gig behind rookie Kendrick Green. The other reserves are rookie tackle Dan Moore Jr. and veteran tackle Joe Haeg.
One of the more surprising cuts is Arthur Maulet, who was signed this offseason after spending the past two years with the Jets. Maulet had at times worked as the team’s No. 1 slot cornerback and was the only other player at that position other than starting outside cornerback Cam Sutton.
Look for the Steelers to add to their offensive line depth, with just eight players there, one of whom has injury questions surrounding him in right tackle Zach Banner. And there must be a move coming in the secondary, where they’re now down to just four cornerbacks and four safeties. They would also free up roster slots if anyone else needs to be moved to injured reserve, such as defensive end Stephon Tuitt, who hasn’t been practicing.
“There’s some decisions that still need to be made, but I wouldn't necessarily refer to it as spots up for grabs,” Tomlin said about a half-hour before the moves were made official. “We’re going to make decisions and gather information up to the 11th hour. That’s just part of this, because the decisions do not occur only in a bubble.”
Wide receiver Cody White had been a preseason standout but ultimately didn’t beat out any of the five returners from last year at that position. Same goes for wideout Rico Bussey, an undrafted rookie out of Hawaii, which means Ray-Ray McCloud retains the job as No. 5 receiver and return specialist.
Also gone are tight end Kevin Rader, a Pine-Richland High School alumnus who was promoted to the active roster late last season; Trey Edmunds, who had been the backup fullback to Derek Watt; cornerback Mark Gilbert, an undrafted rookie from Duke who’s a cousin of Darrelle Revis; free safety Donovan Stiner, another undrafted rookie; and outside linebacker Jamar Watson.
The roster is, technically, set in accordance with the league’s 4 p.m. deadline, but it’s far from final. Surely, the Steelers will peruse the moves made elsewhere by 31 other teams and opt to shuffle their hand before Week 1. There could still be signings and trades, but for now, this is the group the Steelers have whittled from 90 to 53 through training camp and four exhibitions.
On Wednesday afternoon, the Steelers can start building their 16-man practice squad, and you’ll probably see many of the same names resurface there once they clear waivers. Even in his 15th season, this portion of the calendar is one that still weighs heavily on Tomlin.
“I don't want it to get easier, to be honest with you,” Tomlin said. “I don't want to get desensitized to it. These are men on the other end of these decisions, and so that never leaves the front of my mind.”
Brian Batko: bbatko@post-gazette.com and Twitter @BrianBatko.
First Published: August 31, 2021, 8:31 p.m.
