The Steelers 2013 off season is officially at a close. After cutting Jonathan Dwyer along with 22 other players and finalizing their regular season roster, Pittsburgh announced their practice squad signings. In keeping with the times, they did it via Twitter:

The @steelers announce 8-man practice squad: C. Hubbard, J. Long, A. Alexander, B. Arnfelt, A. Baxter, T. Garvin, D. Smith, J. Brown.
— Burt Lauten (@SteelersPRBurt) September 1, 2013

For those of you not adept at initials, the full names and positions are as follows:

Chris Hubbard, Offensive Lineman
Joe Long, Offensive Tackle
Alvester Alexander, Running Back
Brian Arnfelt, Defense Line
Alan Baxter, Outside Linebacker
Terence Garvin, Outside Linebacker
Devin Smith, Defensive back
Justin Brown, Wide Reciever

There are a few names missing from the list. Marshall McFadden had practice squad eligibility was not asked back. Neither did Alameda Ta’amu. Cornerback Terry Hawthorne who was a 5th round draft pick did not get an invitation to return either.

A quick word to the wise – the composition of the practice squad changes frequently throughout the season, and could well change before the Steelers 2013 opener vs. Tennessee, should a name unexpectedly become available.

While practice squad players are on the fringes of any NFL roster, players like James Harrison, Steve McLendon, Chris Hoke, and Ramon Foster all did apprenticeships on the Steelers practice squad.

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